How to Train Your Dragon one-shots
by HorrorFan6
Summary: A collection of short stories occurring in the "How to Train Your Dragon" universe. Stories will contain Hiccup-Toothless friendship (NO slash!), Hiccup-Astrid romance, Hiccup-Stoick father-son relationship, etc. Rated T for potential violence, but I promise nothing too extreme (exceptions will be noted at the beginning of the story in question).
1. Morning Patrol

Morning Patrol

**A/N: Hey guys. Wow, it's been awhile since I've done anything on this site. A lot has happened over the past several years, including a rather new obsession with **_**How to Train Your Dragon**_**. This is my first HTTYD fan fiction and I hope you enjoy it. **

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was afraid.

And to make matters worse, he wasn't even sure what he was afraid of.

All he knew was that he was running through darkness. He couldn't make out his surroundings in the pitch-blackness. The silence was so absolute that his own frantic heartbeat sounded like war drums. His breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. And still he ran on, glancing occasionally over his shoulder but seeing nothing.

But just because he didn't see anything back there didn't mean that there wasn't danger. And there was definitely danger. He could sense it.

Something was coming. And someone was in trouble.

Who? Who was in trouble? Whose life was on the line? Who was he trying so hard to save? Images filled his head: the faces of the people and dragons he loved. His heart clenched. If one of them was in danger…

"Dad?!" Hiccup cried, his voice echoing eerily in the silence. No reply came. "Toothless?! Astrid?!"

His metal leg snagged an unseen obstacle, and he tripped and fell with a grunt. He looked back, half-expecting to see something lunge for him, but the darkness concealed whatever might be lurking out there. He stood shakily to his feet and turned slowly on the spot. The silence pressed on his ears as he strained to hear any sound that might warn him of impending attack. He squinted and then widened his eyes, but nothing helped penetrate the inky blackness around him.

And then…

A roar…a roar he knew only too well…a dragon's roar…

"Toothless!"

Hiccup jolted and jerked upright, eyes flying open. His little bedroom, illuminated by early-morning sunlight, came into focus. Heart still pounding, sweat pouring down his body, he looked around, struggling for a moment to get his bearings. Then he sighed and relaxed. It had only been a dream.

He threw back the sheets and set his feet on the floor, his prosthetic making a soft clunk as it met the wood. He stood up, stretched his stiff muscles, and yawned. Then he turned to the raised platform on the other side of the room, where his dragon Toothless slept. The bed was empty, but that wasn't really a surprise: Toothless often woke before Hiccup and would leave the house via a large square hole in the ceiling to roam about while he waited for his master to get up. Or else he would sit on the roof and hop impatiently, trying to wake his young Viking companion, making the wooden house creak and groan in torment as it struggled to hold up under this barrage of attacks. Why exactly Toothless attacked the house instead of simply prodding Hiccup awake was anyone's guess, but Hiccup preferred it to being licked awake. Toothless' saliva was nearly impossible to wash off.

This morning, however, Toothless must have decided to go wander about the village, for the roof was quiet. Wondering absently what his friend was up to, Hiccup headed down the stairs and found his father, Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, seated at the table. He looked up and smiled as Hiccup entered the room. "Morning, son," he boomed (Stoick hardly ever spoke softly). "Sleep well?"

Remembering his nightmare, Hiccup shrugged and said, "Uh, yeah, I guess." He ran a hand through his hair, and his fingers paused over a single braid. Astrid had lately gotten into a habit of braiding his hair, something he'd opted to tolerate in silence. It was preferable to a punch in the arm.

Stoick seemed to realize that Hiccup wasn't being totally open, and he frowned. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied, trying to force some confidence into his voice. "I just had a weird dream, that's all."

"Oh." Stoick's face cleared. "Want to talk about it?"

Hiccup tried to picture himself discussing his dream with his father but found he couldn't quite manage it. For one, there wasn't much to talk about: darkness, silence, running, and a nameless certainty that something was wrong. For another, Stoick wasn't really the kind of person who understood dreams. Hiccup's grandfather on his mother's side had been a soothsayer, someone who could see into the future, and he'd reportedly been really good at dream interpretation too (which was lucky, as apparently he was prone to misreading the future and dream-telling was a good fallback). But Stoick? Stoick understood battle strategies and anything involving an axe, mace, or hammer. But dreams? Not really.

So Hiccup answered, "No thanks. I don't really remember it anyway."

This answer seemed to satisfy Stoick, who nodded and took a bite out of the fish he was eating for breakfast. Hiccup watched him for a moment, his thoughts wandering. He'd been certain in his dream that someone close to him was in danger. Was it possible that…?

He shook himself mentally. It was only a dream, he told himself. It was nothing to get uptight about.

"I'll go get started on the morning patrol," he said and headed for the door. Stoick grunted around a mouthful of fish in acknowledgement. Before the door closed behind him, Hiccup thought he heard his father call out, "Be careful, son!" but wasn't entirely sure.

The Isle of Berk lay before him. Where it snowed nine months of the year and hailed the other three. Where the food was tough and tasteless and the people even more so. Where dragons had once been a nuisance but, following his and Toothless' defeat of the Red Death, were now right at home living alongside the Vikings. And all because he, Hiccup, had refused to kill a dragon. And not just any dragon: a Night Fury, the most elusive and mysterious of all dragons. As Astrid had once put it, any other Viking would have killed the dragon on sight, but Hiccup had instead befriended and trained him, opening the door to a whole world of new possibilities…

Speaking of which…

"Toothless!" Hiccup called, and he waited for his dragon to respond. Usually it only took one yell to bring Toothless running to his master, but today he seemed to be too engrossed in whatever he was doing to heed Hiccup. So the young Viking cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a roar, a sound that was nearly identical to Toothless' voice. This time, he heard an answering roar echo off the hills further inland, and he smiled. Practicing those dragon calls had been a wise idea.

Moments later, Toothless came bounding into view, his long black body lithe and graceful as a cat, green eyes wide and pupils dilated with excitement. He skidded to a stop in front of Hiccup and growled happily, the deep rumbling noise reverberating up his throat. Smiling, Hiccup held out his hand, and Toothless leaned his head into his friend's palm without hesitation. "Hey, bud," Hiccup said. "Been out exploring?"

Toothless crooned, and Hiccup chuckled. "All right. Well, we have work to do, so let's get you saddled up."

Toothless could barely hold himself still as Hiccup placed the artificial tailfin on the dragon's tail. Hiccup then attached it to the special stirrup designed for his metal left foot. He smiled wryly: _We match_, he thought, and he felt his heart swell with joy.

As soon as the saddle was fastened, Hiccup climbed onto the dragon's back and said, "All right, Toothless, you ready?" Toothless snorted impatiently in assent, and Hiccup laughed. "Then let's go!"

The Night Fury spread his massive wings and a second later they were airborne. The wind whipped Hiccup's face, making his hair billow, and he couldn't stop a laugh of pure delight from bubbling out of his mouth. It didn't matter how many times they flew together: the sensation of freedom and grace never ceased to amaze him. He adjusted the tailfin instinctively, and Toothless banked a little to the right, leveling off. The dragon rumbled impatiently: he wanted to climb higher. "Sorry, bud," Hiccup said. "But we have to patrol first. Then we can have some fun."

Toothless snorted and dove sharply just to make sure Hiccup knew he wasn't pleased. "Hey!" Hiccup gasped, and then as they leveled off again he sighed and muttered, "Useless reptile." The humor in his voice prevented the comment from being truly insulting.

The dragon swooped over the island, and Hiccup squinted down at the village below. There wasn't much activity yet: it was too early. But there were a few Vikings milling about, opening up shops and sweeping dirt off of doorsteps, preparing for a new day. In front of the forge, Gobber the Belch was talking animatedly to his first customer of the morning, probably, Hiccup thought with a grin, regaling him with another of his wild stories. With Gobber, it was hard to tell if these tales were true or not: fiction had a peculiar way of weaving in with the truth. After all, he'd been right about having the Boneknapper dragon pursuing him, but Hiccup highly doubted a hammerhead yak had anything to do with it.

Certain that everything in the village was as it should have been, Hiccup directed Toothless toward the ocean. Seeing the great expanse of blue before him, the dragon whined in yearning. Hiccup laid a hand on his neck and said, "I know, bud. A perfect day for flying."

Toothless soared over the seastacks, and Hiccup scanned the water lapping at their bases for any ships that might have been hiding in their shadows. There hadn't been an attack in quite some time, but Hiccup knew better than to underestimate the enemy tribes. The Berserker tribe in particular could be rather unpredictable. But he was able to relax: the only ships on the sea today were from Berk. The only exception was a boat moored at the docks. The crest on its sail proclaimed it to be from their friendly neighbors, the Bog-Burglar tribe. Hiccup's heart lifted: perhaps his childhood friend Camicazi had come over to visit. He made a mental note to ask his father when he was done patrolling.

From the ocean they headed back inland and scanned the forested hills for any signs of wild dragons encroaching on the village, but everything was peaceful. Before long it was time to report back to Stoick that all was well. On their way back to the village, they passed over the old dragon-killing arena where his dragon training lessons had been held what felt like a lifetime ago. The arena now held the Berk Dragon Training Academy, where he and his friends trained their dragons to coexist with Vikings and defend them against attack. Hiccup's heart swelled with happiness as he gazed down through the metal bars covering the arena. Snotlout was teaching Gustav how to ride his Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang. Or rather, Snotlout was trying and failing to keep his dragon under control while Gustav watched. As usual. Nearby Fishlegs was studying the behavior of a baby Terrible Terror and was recording information into the Book of Dragons while Meatlug, his Gronckle, snoozed by his side. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut were fighting, and their two-headed Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch, mimicked them, the two heads snapping and hissing at each other. Hiccup rolled his eyes. Some things never change.

Then he frowned. One of the dragon trainers was missing: his girlfriend Astrid, along with Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder. Where could she be? Astrid took dragon training very seriously: she wouldn't miss without a good reason. Was she perhaps ill? He straightened in the saddle and urged Toothless a little faster back to the village. He paused for a brief moment to let his father know that he'd seen nothing to be concerned about on patrol before turning and heading over to the Hofferson house. Hearing a noise from the shed where Stormfly slept, he peeked around the corner of the hut and relaxed. Astrid was there, patting her dragon on the shoulder as she ate fish out of a barrel. Astrid looked around at the sound of his approach and smiled. "Good morning, milady," Hiccup said with a grin.

"Good morning, Hiccup," Astrid replied brightly. "How was everything on patrol?"

"Eh, the usual. Gobber is gossiping, Snotlout is making a fool of himself, the twins are at each other's throats." He ticked each item off on his fingers as he spoke.

"A normal day, then," Astrid confirmed, nodding.

"Well, not really," Hiccup said. "See, normally you're at the academy training with the others. But here you are. Are you feeling okay?" He made to put his hand to her forehead, and Astrid swatted it away good-naturedly.

"I'm fine, Hiccup," she insisted with a laugh. "I just felt like taking the day off, that's all. And besides, Stormfly's been working really hard lately. She deserves a break." She patted the Nadder's shoulder. Stormfly acknowledged her with an affectionate screech before returning to her breakfast.

An idea occurred to Hiccup, and without pausing to think he asked, "Well then, would you care for a ride, milady?" He bowed and grinned, gesturing toward Toothless, who was watching this exchange with a distinctly bored expression on his face. At the suggestion of a ride, however, he perked up and crooned excitedly.

Astrid looked momentarily surprised, but she smiled and said, "Sounds like fun." She gave Stormfly one last pat before following Hiccup over to the impatient Night Fury. Hiccup mounted first and then held out a hand to help her climb on behind him. With a click, he slid his metal foot into the stirrup and said, "All right, Toothless, let's go."

Toothless didn't need to be told twice. With a roar of joy, he spread his wings and bolted into the sky. Astrid gasped and wrapped her arms around Hiccup's torso. She hadn't been expecting such a rough takeoff. "Sorry," Hiccup called back to her. "He's been wanting to fly all morning, so he's a little, well…"

"I'm fine," Astrid said, relaxing her grip slightly, though Hiccup noticed she kept her arms around him. He felt a warm stirring in his gut and grinned.

Hiccup adjusted his dragon's tailfin, and Toothless turned neatly to the left, heading out toward the ocean. He made a rumbling sound of delight in his throat, and Hiccup said to Astrid, "Hang on," before adjusting his foot again. In response, Toothless dove, streaking toward the sea faster than an arrow loosed from a taut bow. Behind him, Hiccup heard Astrid laugh as adrenaline coursed through her. At the last possible second, Hiccup straightened the tailfin, and Toothless leveled off, his feet just skimming the water's surface, sending up a faint spray. The Night Fury then rocketed upward, going into a spiral followed immediately by a couple of loops. "You okay back there?" Hiccup asked over his shoulder.

"Never better!" Astrid replied, grinning a little wildly.

Hiccup chuckled and leaned down toward his dragon's head. "Okay, Toothless, let's show her what you can really do…"

Toothless purred happily and launched himself skyward, his powerful wings flapping with every ounce of strength he could muster up. Soon they were in the clouds and still climbing higher and higher…

And then they were freefalling, Toothless' nose pointing straight down at the world below, picking up speed exponentially until Hiccup felt his cheeks being pulled back. Astrid's arms were wrapped tightly around his body, but he could tell from her wordless cry that she was enjoying this just as much as he and Toothless were.

They fell out of the clouds and Toothless leveled off as they descended into the seastacks. As they had done many times before, Hiccup and Toothless worked together to navigate the maze of stone, weaving left and right, Hiccup's foot adjusting the dragon's tail as if of its own volition.

Then they emerged once again into open air, and Toothless let out a happy roar as he slowed down to a more easygoing speed. "That was incredible!" Astrid said breathlessly, and Hiccup grinned, patting Toothless' scaly head fondly. The Night Fury crooned in response.

After that, their ride calmed down. Hiccup directed Toothless up over the island, allowing them to gaze contentedly down at the goings-on below them.

The peaceful silence was broken by Astrid: "Okay, Hiccup. What's going on?"

Hiccup gave a little start. "Huh? What are you—?"

"You're usually not this quiet, and your muscles are tense," Astrid observed. "What's on your mind?"

Hiccup grinned wryly. "You're perceptive," he said.

"I know you," Astrid returned, and she put a hand on his shoulder. "So what's bothering you?"

Hiccup hesitated for a moment. Then he decided that he could tell her. Astrid wouldn't laugh his fears away; they were too close for that. "Well, last night I had this weird dream…"

He told her all about his nightmare, leaving no detail out. Not that there was a lot to tell, really. But Astrid stayed silent throughout his explanation, and when he had finished, she was a moment in speaking.

"Well," she said slowly, "I guess I can understand why you're worried. We don't exactly lead easy lives. There's always the threat of some attack. There're wild dragons to deal with, and even the trained ones can go a little nuts sometimes…" Toothless snorted indignantly but Astrid ignored him. "…And then there are the people in the village, who aren't always the easiest to get along with…"

"Thank you for summing that up…" Hiccup said with a small smile.

Astrid didn't acknowledge the jab. "But hey, that's why your dad's got you doing morning patrols, right? To make sure nothing's wrong."

Hiccup didn't answer immediately. The thing was, he wasn't sure that was Stoick's reason for starting the morning patrol. His father had brought up the fact that he, Hiccup, was the future chief of Berk several times recently, and this seemed to him more like Stoick was trying to prepare his son for the responsibilities he'd be expected to uphold. But he decided on the spot that he didn't want to discuss this with Astrid right now. He knew she'd be excited for him, far more excited than he himself was. So he answered her question with a quick nod and said, "Right."

"So I wouldn't worry about it too much," Astrid said, apparently satisfied with Hiccup's response. Then she frowned, sensing that he wasn't entirely convinced. Her grip on his shoulder tightened a little as she added, "But even if something does happen, don't forget that we're all here to help you."

Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, Astrid."

Not long afterward, Toothless came in for a landing in front of the Hofferson house. Stormfly screeched a greeting to her master as Astrid dismounted, Hiccup right behind her. She smiled at him and said, "Thanks for the ride, Hiccup. It was…"

She broke off, her smile fading to be replaced by a bewildered look. "Astrid? What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, concerned.

Astrid just stared at him, at a loss for words. She managed to splutter out, "But…how… when did that happen?!"

"When did what happen?" Hiccup looked down at himself worriedly. "What, have I grown a third arm or something? Ow!" Astrid punched his arm. "What in Thor's name was that for?!"

Astrid put her hands on her hips. "When did you get taller than me?!"

For a moment Hiccup just gaped at her. Then he realized that he was indeed looking slightly down at her. It had happened so gradually he had totally missed it. After so long of having to look up at Astrid, the tables had finally turned. A laugh escaped his lips before he could stop himself. Astrid punched his arm again, though there wasn't much conviction in it this time. She was grinning, and soon they were both laughing together. On impulse, Hiccup pulled her close and kissed her. Her laughter hadn't completely died away when their lips met, but she fell silent pretty quickly, leaning forward into his embrace. When they broke apart, she looked up into his eyes and murmured, "I guess I could get used to it."

Hiccup chuckled.

After a moment, Astrid pulled back and said, "Will you be going to the academy this afternoon?"

Hiccup nodded. "I suppose I'd better, just to make sure Snotlout and the twins don't burn the place down."

Astrid grinned. "Great. I'll see you then." And with another light-ish punch to the arm, she turned and headed into the house.

Hiccup reached up to rub the spot where he'd been punched. Three times. He was going to have a bruise. He looked around at Toothless, who had watched the entire exchange with a blank, slightly bored expression in his eyes. Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "Women…"

Toothless grumbled noncommittally, but he purred happily when Hiccup reached out to stroke his forehead. "Come on, bud," he said, turning back toward his house. "Let's get something to eat before heading out to the arena."

Toothless crooned in agreement, and Hiccup grinned. For a moment, the memory of his dream threatened to invade his mind again, but he pushed it aside firmly. Astrid was right: as long as there was nothing wrong, there was nothing to worry about.

And besides, with Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, he already had enough to deal with.

"I wonder what kind of mess I'll be cleaning up this afternoon?" he wondered aloud as he headed up to his house.

As if on cue, he heard a shout and looked up in time to see Snotlout and Hookfang streak past, the dragon's scaly body aflame, smoke trailing behind them. They vanished from view, and a moment later a loud crash came from the direction of the Great Hall. Hiccup sighed. "Oh great. I can see the look on my father's face already…"

And with that, he took off at a run, his faithful dragon running contentedly alongside him.


	2. The Headless Dragon Rider

The Headless Dragon Rider

**A/N: This is based on Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," my favorite story ever put to print. I hope you enjoy it. :) **

"_Scratch, scratch_… 'Who stole my golden hook?' _Scratch, scratch_… And you turn around, and he says, '_You did!_'"

Tuffnut finished his story by pointing wildly at Toothless, who stared back with un-amused eyes. In fact, a quick glance over the people and dragons gathered around the campfire confirmed that no one seemed particularly impressed with the ghostly tale they had just been treated to. Ruffnut rolled her eyes at her twin's antics. Snotlout yawned theatrically. Even Fishlegs, who was easily frightened, looked more irritated by the story's multiple plot holes than freaked out. Astrid was leaning her head against Hiccup's shoulder, and they both wore the same half-exasperated, half-amused expression.

"Ooh, tough crowd," Tuffnut remarked, sitting back down on the log beside his sister.

"No, just a bad story," Astrid returned. Hiccup grinned, though that may have been because her hand was clasped firmly in his own, something he never grew tired of.

Snotlout noticed their joined hands and smirked. "Hey Astrid, if you're scared you can always come cuddle next to me."

Hiccup glared at him and opened his mouth to tell his cousin to stop hitting on his girlfriend, but Astrid beat him to the punch. She scoffed and said, "That's the scariest thing I've heard all night."

Hiccup chuckled and gave her hand a quick squeeze. She turned her head up to him and smiled, a look reserved for him only. For a moment Hiccup admired the way the campfire's glow reflected in her eyes, making them dance and shimmer. Not for the first time, he thanked the gods he was lucky enough to call her his own.

Snotlout ignored the Viking girl's retort. "Aw, come on, Astrid," he persisted. "I've gotta be more comforting than Hiccup! I mean look at him! He's skin and bone! What you need is someone with muscle, someone who can protect you from harm! Oh, and having both legs would be a plus," he added with a smirk.

Hiccup glowered. He hated being reminded that he was the skinniest Viking on Berk, and he hated the reminder of his missing leg even more. Astrid, perhaps feeling him stiffen beside her, came to his defense. "I feel perfectly safe with Hiccup, thank you very much. It's you who should be worried for his safety, Snotlout. Keep this up and you'll end up with an axe in your head."

Snotlout scoffed. "Puh-lease! We all know that I'm bigger, faster, and stronger than anyone else around this fire!"

Hiccup suddenly grinned. "Careful, Snotlout," he said quietly. "With a head that size, you make yourself an easy target for the Headless Dragon Rider."

All eyes turned to him, some in surprise (Snotlout), some in confusion (the twins), and some in sudden unease (Fishlegs). Astrid glanced up at her boyfriend again and tried unsuccessfully to conceal a smirk.

"That old fairy tale?" Snotlout laughed. "Oh please, Hiccup. Is that the best you've got?"

"Yeah, is that the best you've got?" Tuffnut echoed in his best tough-man voice.

"Do you even know what he's talking about?" Astrid asked him.

"Not at all," Tuffnut replied, and Ruffnut shook her head.

"Why don't you enlighten them, Astrid?" Hiccup suggested, his gaze never leaving Snotlout. "Remind them why we should be afraid of the Headless Dragon Rider."

Astrid grinned and straightened. "With pleasure."

There was a pause while she gathered her thoughts. All around the campfire, the teens leaned in expectantly. Even the dragons straightened with interest. Toothless cooed softly, and Hiccup placed a hand on his forehead purely out of reflex.

"The Headless Dragon Rider was a rogue Viking that lived on Berk before even our ancestors first sailed here," Astrid began, deepening her voice to increase the creep-out factor. "He lived all alone on this island, and it was said that he was insane. He was actually the first Viking to ever ride a dragon: he conquered a Night Fury and used him to fight against anyone who dared challenge him."

All eyes flicked to Toothless, whose ears perked at the mention of his race. Hiccup scratched him under the chin affectionately.

"Well one day, in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm, a ship landed on the shores of Berk" Astrid continued. "It was filled with Vikings looking for new lands to inhabit. The island seemed deserted so they thought it would be a good place to settle. But the Dragon Rider was watching them, enraged that these fools would invade his territory and determined to make every last one of them pay.

"He attacked the Vikings' camp in the dead of night, riding his Night Fury and screeching at the top of his lungs. In the confusion and chaos that followed—"

"Confusion?" Tuffnut interrupted gleefully.

"Chaos?" Ruffnut intoned in awe.

"Awesome!" they chorused together.

"Shh!" Fishlegs hissed. "Don't interrupt!" He turned back to Astrid, his eyes wide and jaw slack, totally engrossed in the tale as if he'd never heard it before.

"Thanks, Fishlegs," Astrid said, glaring at the twins. "In the middle of the chaos and confusion, many Vikings were killed. But the survivors banded together and fought to bring the Dragon Rider to his knees. They shot him down with a well-aimed arrow. He fell from his dragon, who flew away, never to be seen again. And then…" Astrid leaned forward dramatically. "The downed Rider was surrounded. He tried to fight back but his wound slowed him down. He was killed when the chief of the new tribe took his axe and cut the Rider's head clean off his shoulders with a single blow. They buried his body in these very woods." She gestured at the trees around them. Fishlegs squeaked nervously. "The head rolled away and fell off the cliff into the sea. It was never found.

"Now according to legend, the spirit of the Headless Dragon Rider rises from his grave at night to search for his lost head. He flies on his ghostly Night Fury all over this island, and it is said that if you listen closely, you can hear the sound of the dragon's wings beating in the silence of the night. Beware the Headless Dragon Rider! For if he finds you, he may decide to take your head to replace his own."

Finished with the tale, Astrid leaned back and observed her friends' reactions with satisfaction. The twins were, for once, silent in awe. Fishlegs was trying to look nonchalant but unable to still his trembling. Even Snotlout, despite his best efforts, looked a little unnerved. Only Hiccup seemed unaffected. He continued to stroke Toothless absently, gazing at Astrid with a small smile on his face, though his eyes flickered to his cousin from time to time.

Snotlout finally broke the silence with a laugh. "The Headless Dragon Rider's just a myth!" he insisted, looking around at the others. "A story told to little kids to scare them. There is no headless ghost riding about on a dragon, I mean come on—"

"He's real," Hiccup spoke up, his face impassive. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Oh yeah?" Snotlout retorted, crossing his arms. "And how do you know?"

Hiccup paused in his attentions to Toothless. "Because I've seen him."

There was a collective gasp from around the fire. Astrid had to raise a hand to cover her lips, which she couldn't stop from quirking upward. She had caught her boyfriend give her the barest of winks.

"You…you've seen him?!" Fishlegs breathed.

Hiccup nodded. "Yep."

"Did he take your head?" Ruffnut asked excitedly. Astrid gave her an are-you-serious? look and rolled her eyes.

"No he didn't," Hiccup replied as if the question were perfectly ordinary.

"And how exactly did you manage to escape him?" Snotlout asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Hiccup grinned and leaned forward. "Well, a few weeks ago Toothless and I were taking a late-night flight around the island. We had to make an emergency landing not too far from here because Toothless' tailfin was worked loose. As I was fixing it, I thought I kept hearing a strange noise, like the growling of a dragon, but I tried to ignore it. I figured it was a wild dragon that was nervous about me being there, and I thought the faster I fixed the tailfin and got back in the air the better.

"Well Toothless suddenly stiffened and started growling. I looked around to see what was the matter and saw a black shape in the darkness between the trees. I couldn't see what it was at first, but it stepped into the moonlight, and then I could see that it was a man on the back of a Night Fury. And the man had no head."

Fishlegs caught himself leaning forward in mingled terror and excitement, while the twins exchanged looks of awe. Even Snotlout couldn't conceal his interest. Astrid still fought to keep her smile from showing. She had to hand it to Hiccup: he sure knew how to sell the story.

"I was terrified," Hiccup continued. "I knew the story of the Headless Dragon Rider and knew that he would try to take my head. So I hopped on Toothless and we took off as fast as we could. I looked back and saw that the ghost was following us. Now you all know how fast Toothless is." He paused to scratch his dragon's chin. Toothless rumbled happily. "But this ghost was just as fast, maybe even a little faster. He stayed on our tail, never falling behind and never gaining.

"I knew what we had to do: we had to get back to the village. The Dragon Rider never ventures near the place where he was killed. If I could just get back home, Toothless and I would be safe. So I urged Toothless as fast as he could go, hoping and praying to all the gods that his tailfin would hold out until we were safe. I kept glancing back to see the Rider just behind us. I could see the stump of his neck…" He shivered theatrically, and Astrid had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing. Hiccup was clearly relishing his peers' undivided attention.

"We finally got within sight of Berk," he continued. "I glanced back one more time to see if the Rider had vanished."

"And had he?" Fishlegs asked breathlessly.

Hiccup shook his head. "No. He hadn't. He had come to a stop in midair. His dragon let out a wild screech…I've never heard anything like it before or since. And then the Rider and his dragon were both engulfed in blue flames: Night Fury fire. I blinked, and the next second they were gone."

Hiccup settled back on his log, eyes roaming from face to excited face. Even Snotlout was open-mouthed in wonder.

"That's quite a story," Astrid said, and Hiccup grinned over at her.

"Yeah," Fishlegs agreed, shivering and glancing at the woods around them fearfully.

Predictably, Snotlout tried to cover his unease by snorting. "Yeah, whatever," he said flippantly. He yawned. "Your story was so exciting it put me right to sleep."

Rather than looking offended or disappointed, Hiccup merely raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Really? I wouldn't fall asleep here if I were you, Snotlout. You never know where the Headless Dragon Rider might appear."

Snotlout puffed his chest out, hoping to make himself appear impressive and intimidating. Astrid covered up her laugh with a snorting cough. "I'm not afraid of that old spook!" he declared.

"Want to put your money where your mouth is, Snotlout?" Hiccup said lightly. "I dare you to spend the night here. Alone."

Fishlegs gasped and Tuffnut said, "Whoa!" Snotlout blinked in surprise but quickly rearranged his features into a cocky grin.

"Yeah? No problem."

Hiccup chuckled and stood up. "Very well then, Snotlout. We will see you in the morning…if, of course, the Rider doesn't get you."

He climbed onto Toothless' back, waved cheerily at his cousin (who, to his credit, kept a brave face through all this), and took off. Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins followed him, leaving Snotlout and his dragon Hookfang quite alone.

The moment his friends were gone, Snotlout visibly deflated. "I'm not afraid," he told himself, but his voice lacked its usual confidence and swagger. Hookfang gave him a look that said quite clearly that he wasn't convinced.

The wind picked up and Snotlout shivered, shifting a little closer to the campfire. "Stupid Hiccup and his stupid stories," he muttered under his breath. Then he frowned. "I wonder if he really did see the Rider…" He shook his head as though to clear it. "Pft! Of course he didn't! He made it all up to scare me. Well it won't work, Hiccup. I'll show you! I'll spend the night here and when I come back to Berk tomorrow I'll have the last laugh!"

Hookfang, as usual, ignored his rider's ranting and settled down on the ground nearby, closing his eyes. Though he would never admit it, Snotlout was uneasy to see his dragon go to sleep. With Hookfang awake, he at least could reassure himself that he had some means of defense (not that he needed it, he quickly amended), and the Monstrous Nightmare, stubborn though he was, did make a good companion. With him asleep, Snotlout suddenly felt more alone than he ever had in his life.

He shivered, a motion that had nothing to do with the night chill, and lay down in an attempt to fall asleep himself. But every time he closed his eyes, the details of Hiccup's story returned to haunt his imagination, and he had to open them again to make sure there was really nothing out there preparing to attack. After fifteen minutes of failing to doze off, he sat up again with a sigh, focusing on the campfire.

For over an hour he sat there, keeping his eyes on the dancing flames and determinedly thinking about anything but the ghostly story Hiccup had told. Even as the fire began to die out and only smoldering embers remained he kept his eyes forward. He wished Hookfang were awake: he could reignite the fire. But he knew from experience that the dragon was almost impossible to wake, and if he dared attempt it he would likely end up losing his eyebrows.

He lost track of how long he sat before the remains of the fire, but at one point he heard a soft noise and finally tore his eyes away from the ashes, his heart missing a beat. The woods around him were dark, and it was impossible to see anything that might be lurking in the shadows of the trees. "H-hello?" he called, his voice wavering slightly. "Is anyone there?"

No one answered him.

A thought occurred to him (which in and of itself was a small miracle): what if Hiccup and Astrid were out there, trying to scare him? He sat up straighter and said with all the bravado he could muster, "I know you're out there, Hiccup! You can't scare me with your stupid stories! You're wasting your time, so you might as well come on out and admit defeat!"

Nothing. No stifled giggling, no restless shifting of feet, no hushed whispers. Not a sound to indicate that anyone was watching him. Snotlout's sudden surge of bravery vanished as quickly as it had come. "Guys?" he said, scanning the forest for any sign of his friends. "Cut it out. It's not funny."

There was no response.

"Did I imagine it?" Snotlout asked himself aloud, but no sooner had he considered this did he hear something again: the quiet rustling of leaves being disturbed by moving feet. BIG moving feet.

And then something stepped out from the tree line.

At first it was impossible to see what it was. All Snotlout could make out was a huge, hulking outline. It didn't look like any animal he'd ever seen, yet there was something oddly familiar about it. There was something vaguely human-esque about the top portion of the figure, but the bottom was far too wide and massive…

…and those two huge green glowing orbs were definitely not human…

Then the clouds shifted, and moonlight illuminated the scene. The figure was a man dressed in black armor, complete with a black cape that draped down over the back of the dragon he was riding. Two green eyes glowed in the darkness, their pupils narrowed into slits, and a faint growl echoed in its throat.

But by far the most alarming feature of this pair was the rider's head, which was notable only in its absence. With a thrill of horror, Snotlout realized that the rider's outline ended at his shoulders. Above that there was merely empty space. The dragon shifted restlessly, and the rider raised one hand. Snotlout's terror only increased at this, for in the man's upraised palm was a small, rounded shape. A head.

"Oh gods…" Snotlout breathed.

The silence was destroyed when the Night Fury shrieked, a sound that sent a chill running down the young Viking's spine. Snotlout lurched to his feet and nearly tripped as he ran to where Hookfang slumbered on. "Hookfang!" he screamed, deciding a pair of burnt eyebrows was preferable to losing his head. "Hookfang wake up! We have to get outta here right now! Wake up, you useless, overgrown lizard!"

Hookfang opened one bleary eye and glared at his rider. Then his gaze flickered to the newcomers and he blinked in confusion. The Night Fury chose that moment to rear onto its hind legs, spreading its wings and screeching, a threatening blue light glowing in its throat as it prepared to fire a plasma blast.

Hookfang woke up pretty quickly after that. He spread his own wings, giving Snotlout only seconds to leap onto his back before taking off into the sky. Looking back, Snotlout saw the Headless Dragon Rider urge his dragon upward as well. He was pursuing them, and the ghostly Night Fury was far faster than the Monstrous Nightmare. "Faster, Hookfang, faster!" Snotlout yelled, and for once the dragon listened to his rider, putting more effort into beating his wings as fast as they could go. They put a little distance between themselves and the Rider, but not much. And glancing back, Snotlout rather thought that the ghost was holding back, not pushing his dragon to its top speed. Was he toying with them…?

His musings were interrupted when Hookfang made a sharp turn toward the cove. Snotlout's heart missed several beats. The cove was in the opposite direction from the village, and Hiccup had said that the Rider never ventured to the village. So that meant (his brain was starting to hurt from thinking so hard) going to the cove was a bad idea. "No!" he cried. "Not that way! We have to get back to the village! We'll be safe there!" He pulled on Hookfang's horns but the dragon ignored him, choosing instead to try outrunning the specter. Snotlout looked behind him and saw, to his dismay, that the Rider was gaining on them.

The Night Fury roared and let out a blast of blue fire. Snotlout yelped and ducked. The burst of flame hit a nearby tree, leaving a scorching hole in its trunk. Hookfang jerked reflexively and swerved, narrowly avoiding colliding with an outcropping of rock that appeared out of nowhere. Snotlout tugged on Hookfang's horns, urging to dragon to rise above the forest. He turned his head, searching for the village.

There! He could just make out the forms of the collected huts and shops he called home. He had never been gladder to see Berk in all his life.

His relief was short-lived. The Night Fury roared again, and another plasma blast shot over his head. He screamed and urged Hookfang faster toward the village. "Come on, Hookfang!" he yelled. "We can make it! We'll be safe once we reach Berk! We're almost—"

Another plasma blast shot over their heads, and Hookfang shrieked in terror, diving down to avoid further attacks. Snotlout was nearly unseated by the sudden move and cried, "What are you doing?!" He tugged on the dragon's horns but got no response as the Nightmare dove into the trees, weaving this way and that, dodging trees and boulders in a desperate attempt to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers.

Snotlout looked back again and saw that the Headless Dragon Rider was right on their tail. He could see the glowing green eyes of the dragon, the slit pupils glaring malevolently at him. He saw the Rider's cape billowing out behind him. He saw the severed head held aloft in the Rider's hand and could easily imagine the evil leer on its face as the ghoul closed in on its prey.

The Night Fury's mouth glowed blue again, and Snotlout screamed, "UP!" and tugged on Hookfang's horns. The dragon shot upward just as the Night Fury shot yet another blast, scorching the grass below it as it followed the Nightmare and its rider skyward.

The village of Berk lay only a short distance away. Snotlout's heart gave a bound as he cried, "Almost there! Almost there!" He glanced back and saw with delight that the Rider was slowing, apparently unwilling to get too close to the town.

And then the ghost stopped in mid-flight, hovering just outside the ring of light that welcomed Snotlout and Hookfang. The Night Fury shrieked again, and despite himself Snotlout pulled back on his dragon's horns, turning around in his seat to watch the Rider disappear, as Hiccup had described, in a flash of blue Night Fury flames.

Instead, to his horror, the Rider rose in his stirrups and tossed his head into the air. The Night Fury lashed out with its tail and batted the round orb, sending it careening right at Snotlout. The Viking teen screamed and tried to duck, but too late. The missile hit his head with a tremendous crash, knocking him out instantly. He fell from the saddle and plummeted to earth. Hookfang, sensing the sudden absence of his rider's weight, dove and caught Snotlout's fur vest in his teeth with only seconds to spare before he hit the ground. Rising back to the sky, the dragon looked around for the ghostly pair, hoping he would still be able to…

There was nothing there.

The Headless Dragon Rider had vanished.

…

When Snotlout awoke the next morning, the first thing he became aware of was a pounding in his skull. He groaned and opened his eyes blearily, looking around his bedroom in confusion. Then the events of the previous night returned to him and he sat up, wincing as the throbbing in his head intensified. "What…happened?" he muttered to himself. He remembered seeing the Headless Dragon Rider hurl his head at him, he remembered a sudden flash of pain, and then darkness. How did he end up back in his room…?

He got up and headed downstairs. Upon opening the front door he was greeted by a relieved-looking Hookfang, who growled happily at seeing his rider up and about. "Hookfang?" Snotlout said dazedly, running a hand through his hair. "What…" He stopped. He'd just realized his helmet was missing.

"Snotlout?"

He jumped and whirled around to see his friends approaching. All of them were wearing grins of mirth. At the front of the group was Hiccup, who crossed his arms in triumph. "So," he said, "not brave enough to spend the night alone after all, huh?"

It took Snotlout a few moments to understand what his cousin was referring to. The midnight chase had driven all thought of their campfire gathering completely out of his mind. Then he gasped and said, "No! The Rider, Hiccup! He showed up and chased me and Hookfang all the way back to the village…!" He told them about the night's adventure, but when he finished, none of his friends looked convinced.

"You're ridiculous," Fishlegs declared. "You got scared and sneaked back then made up this story so we wouldn't think you a coward."

"It's true!" Snotlout shouted angrily. Then he grinned as a thought hit him. "And I can prove it too!"

…

"There! You see?" Snotlout said smugly. "Told you I was telling the truth."

Hiccup laughed. "Snotlout, all this proves is that you lost your helmet as you flew back last night. It doesn't prove you were chased by a headless ghost!"

Snotlout's triumphant smile flickered as he gazed down at his helmet, lying in the middle of a patch of grass in a spot not far outside the village. "But I was!" he insisted, and a desperate note entered his voice. "I swear! The Headless Dragon Rider chased me and Hookfang last night!"

"Uh, guys?" came Fishlegs' voice from a short distance away, and they all looked around at him. "You might want to take a look at this."

They all converged on the spot where their friend stood, gazing down at the mangled, shredded remains of a head of cabbage.

"What about it?" Tuffnut asked, confused. "It's just a head of cabbage."

"Yeah, but what is it doing way out here?" Fishlegs asked. "There aren't any farms anywhere near this place."

He glanced up at the others. He couldn't be sure, but he rather thought he saw Hiccup and Astrid grin at each other before looking away hurriedly. Fishlegs frowned but didn't comment. Perhaps he imagined it.

As for Snotlout, he couldn't care less about the cabbage. For the next several weeks, all he heard about from his friends were jokes about his supposed cowardice. Try as he might, he could never convince any of his friends that he'd really been chased by the Headless Dragon Rider, and when the story made its way around the village (courtesy of Ruffnut and Tuffnut's inability to keep their mouths shut) it was met with incredulity from the adults as well. The laughter and jokes died out eventually and everyone went on with their lives, though it soon became a tale regularly told around the fire pit late at night. Hiccup in particular liked to tell the story of his cousin's supposed midnight encounter, usually with Astrid by his side, her hand clasped in his own, a grin on her face. Whenever he reached the part about the cabbage he could never stop himself from bursting into fits of giggles, though he never explained what exactly he found so amusing about it.

But Snotlout never once wavered in his certainty that he had indeed nearly lost his head that night, and he never returned to that part of the forest for fear of once again meeting the ghostly figure of the Headless Dragon Rider.


	3. We Celebrate Them

We Celebrate Them

**A/N: This story will contain spoilers for **_**How to Train Your Dragon 2**_**. Read no further if you haven't seen this movie. **

It was the first Snoggletog after Stoick's death, and Hiccup was miserable.

He supposed there were lots of things to be happy about. The dragons had returned from their annual trip to the breeding grounds with babies in tow. A party was in full swing in the Great Hall. All his friends were gathered and having a great time. And for the first time, he was celebrating the winter holiday with his mother.

And yet…he couldn't quite muster up the appropriate amount of joy.

He stood in a far corner of the hall, watching the festivities but not actively participating. He held an untouched mug of mead in his hand. Beside him, his dragon Toothless warbled in concern. He could sense that his human was feeling down but couldn't figure out why, and if he didn't know why then he couldn't really do anything to help, and if he couldn't help…

The Night Fury looked around and perked up. A short distance away, Astrid was talking animatedly to Fishlegs about something, probably about the behavior of a baby Deadly Nadder but Toothless couldn't have cared less. This human female always seemed to lift his friend's spirits. Maybe she could help now. He bounded away from Hiccup and crooned to Astrid, who looked up in surprise. "Hey, Toothless. What…wuh?!" Her question was cut off as Toothless took her fur hood in his teeth and lifted her off the ground. Astrid, knowing it was no good to fight with a dragon (not that she'd have been able to fight – her shock at being lifted like this left her momentarily stunned), merely hung limply from his jaws as the great reptile trotted happily over to where his human stood.

Hiccup's expression went from mournful to bewildered and then to amused as Toothless set Astrid down in front of him. "Thanks for dropping in," he said, his usual lopsided grin curving his lips.

"Wasn't exactly my idea," Astrid replied, glaring half-heartedly up at the Night Fury, who was giving both of them his trademark gummy smile, convinced he'd done something great. After all, his human was smiling. Therefore Mission: Make Human Happy was a success as far as he was concerned.

Hiccup glanced over at Toothless and rolled his eyes. He'd learned to stop questioning his dragon's whims and just go with it a long time ago. It spared him a headache. "Useless reptile," he muttered good-humoredly, and Toothless warbled.

"So," Astrid said, straightening her hood and trying not to grimace as her fingers touched Night Fury saliva, "what are you doing over here in the corner? Shouldn't the chief be taking part in the festivities?"

She realized a second too late that she'd hit a nerve. Hiccup's smile faded and he looked at the floor. Her heart missed a beat. "Oh gods…Hiccup, I'm so sorry, I didn't think—"

"No, it's okay," Hiccup cut her off, looking back up at her and trying to smile again. It didn't quite reach his eyes this time. "I can't live the rest of my life avoiding it, I guess."

Astrid found herself lost for words. So she pulled him into a tight embrace. He seemed surprised at first but soon wrapped his own arms around her, holding her close. "You don't have to face it alone, Hiccup," she murmured into the leather of his flight suit. "We're all here for you. _I'm _here for you."

Hiccup's hold on her tightened for a brief moment, and she could sense the gratitude in the gesture. "Thanks, Astrid."

They pulled apart and gazed at each other for a moment. She completely filled his vision, and he liked what he saw. Her golden hair was shining and the decorative lights strung around the hall were reflecting in her sapphire-blue eyes. Gods, she was so beautiful and smart and sweet…how could he have been so lucky to win her? She smiled up at him, running a hand through his unruly auburn hair, though her smile faltered slightly when she met his gaze. His emerald green eyes were dull. The vibrant spark they usually held was noticeably absent.

"You really miss him, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Hiccup nodded and said with some hesitation, "He…he may not have been a perfect father, but he was still my dad. I loved him. For a while, he was all I had. How…how am I supposed to just move on from it…?"

Astrid shook her head. "I don't know. I suppose you don't ever really get over losing someone you love. You just…learn to continue living despite the pain, I guess." She sighed and added, "I'm afraid I'm not really good with this kind of advice. I've never…I mean…I don't know what you're going through."

Hiccup didn't know what to say to that, but he knew she was right. Both of her parents were still alive. And besides, he hadn't even told her the really bad part, the part that had him even more upset than the usual grief…

There was an awkward silence between them. Hiccup looked around the room, seeing nothing but happy faces and warmth. Didn't they miss Stoick, any of them? Didn't they know just how torn up and depressed he was? Did none of them care that their chief was in mourning?

Suddenly, he had to get out of there. If he stayed, he would lose his composure in front of everyone, and the village didn't need to see their chief crying on Snoggletog. He looked over at Astrid, and she could see the tears building up, knew he was fighting to hold up a rapidly-crumbling façade. "Go," she told him, gently but firmly. "You go on. I'll cover for you."

Hiccup smiled at her gratefully, paused just long enough to kiss her on the cheek in thanks, and turned toward the door. Toothless, confused as to why his human was suddenly so sad again, followed the chief out of the warmth and into the cold, dark night.

Unseen by either of them, Valka, her brow furrowed worriedly, watched them depart. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what she should do. Her son probably wanted to be alone right now. But she had spent the last twenty years away from him, and he needed his mother's comfort right now. Excusing herself from her conversation with Gobber, she followed Hiccup and Toothless from the hall.

Hiccup, relieved that he'd had the foresight to leave Toothless' saddle on that afternoon, leapt onto the dragon's back the moment they were clear of the Great Hall's doors. Toothless didn't need to be told what to do: he launched into the air just as soon as his rider's metal foot latched into place. Hiccup smiled in spite of the sharp cold air that hit him in the face as they ascended. Cold or not, he never got tired of flying, never grew bored of the boundless freedom it offered. Up here in the air, he could almost escape from the grief and guilt that had been hounding him for months.

Almost.

He sighed, and Toothless, sensing his human's sadness, let out a worried whine. "It's okay, bud," Hiccup said, though there was no conviction in his voice. "Let's…let's go to the statue for a little while, okay?"

A great statue of Stoick the Vast had been carved into Berk's mountainside immediately following his death, and Hiccup had found himself drawn to it whenever his depression became too much to bear. It helped to look upon the visage of the man who had been, if not perfect, at least approachable and lovable…human. Somehow he sensed Stoick's presence whenever he stood in the great statue's shadow, and the ache in his chest would ease a little, enough for him to return to his duties as the new chief.

Tonight the statue was covered in a layer of snow, but the outline of Stoick's face and prominent beard were still clearly visible in the darkness. Toothless landed on an outcropping of rock near the statue's enormous face and Hiccup dismounted, gazing sadly up at his father's profile. He sighed. "I miss you, Dad," he said quietly, his voice almost lost to the wind that whistled around the mountain. "I know we had a…complicated relationship, but…you were the best father I could have ever hoped for. We had some rough times, but I knew you cared about me, even when I was doing everything I could to burn the village to the ground." He smiled weakly. "I know it bothered you sometimes that I wasn't the big, strong Viking you were expecting. But after you started to get to know me, once you realized I could still be strong in other ways, I knew you cared. And I knew I could always turn to you. You were there for me, and you helped me in so many ways…I…I just…" His voice started to tremble. "I miss you so much…I…I wish you were still here with me…"

He broke down, folding his arms across his chest as if hoping to restrain the sobs that were building up inside him. He lowered his head and scrunched his eyes closed. _I will not cry_, he told himself, but tears were welling up, threatening to spill…

Toothless made a mournful little noise, and Hiccup looked around, blinking the moisture away. The dragon's big green eyes were directed at the ground, and his shoulders were hunched in a posture that could only be an expression of shame, of guilt…

Hiccup's heart sank even further as realization hit him. "No, Toothless," he said, his voice gentle yet firm. "It wasn't your fault. I've told you before, I don't blame you for what happened." He closed the small distance between them and took the Night Fury's head in his hands, forcing him to raise his eyes to meet his rider's. "Drago and his Bewilderbeast are to blame for Dad's death. You can't be held responsible for something you were forced to do."

Toothless crooned sadly, and his meaning was clear: _You broke me out of the control later. If I'd snapped out of it the first time, he would still be here. _

"Toothless…oh Toothless…" Hiccup lowered himself to his knees and hugged the dragon's head tenderly. "It's not your fault, bud. It's…it's _my _fault."

Toothless grunted in confusion and drew back, sniffing his friend. Hiccup sighed. This was what he'd been battling with for months, what he hadn't told anyone, not even Astrid. It was his own fault that his father had died, and he knew it.

Toothless was still looking at him as if he'd sprouted wings of his own, so he explained, "Dad tried to warn me that Drago couldn't be reasoned with. He told me that several times. 'Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.' Those were his exact words. And what did I do? I went after him anyway. I was so sure I could change his mind. And my father is dead because I didn't listen to him, I didn't take his advice. Instead of trying to talk to him, I should have just killed him when I had the chance. Then maybe…" He trailed off and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"You're not being fair to yourself, Hiccup."

He jumped and whirled around. He'd been so consumed by his guilt that he hadn't even noticed Cloudjumper, who had landed a few feet away with Valka on his back. Toothless crooned excitedly at the sight of the other dragon, who nodded his head regally to his new king. Hiccup shook his head: he still had a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea of Toothless as the new Alpha. Then again, he'd never thought he'd become chief either, so…

His mother dismounted from Cloudjumper and walked over to where he stood while the two dragons began to socialize with each other. She put a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "You shouldn't blame yourself for your father's death, Hiccup. You said it yourself: Drago was the one who took control of Toothless. It wasn't your fault."

Hiccup broke eye contact, not at all reassured. "But Dad died trying to save me. If I hadn't been so stupid then—"

"Hiccup, we can't live our lives dwelling on 'what if's," Valka interrupted. "If we spend too much time looking to the past, we won't be able to appreciate the present or anticipate the future. Listen, your father loved you very much, enough to take Toothless' plasma blast in your place. But I know he wouldn't want you to drown in sorrow for his passing, and I know he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. It's okay to blame Drago for what he did. He is the one at fault here, not you and not Toothless. Besides," she added with a smile, "if you hadn't insisted on finding Drago, then your father and I would never have met again. Even if it was for just a few hours, I'm grateful I got the chance to be his wife once more. And it's thanks to you, son, that I got that chance."

Hiccup allowed a small smile to curve his lips, though he still didn't look entirely convinced. Valka sighed. "I know it's hard. I miss him too. But it will get easier with time." She hesitated before continuing, "My first Snoggletog away from Berk was a very emotional time for me, you know. I'd been taken away from my family, my friends, Stoick, and you. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle the permanent separation. I missed you all so much…

"But then…I realized that I hadn't really lost any of you. You were all still here." She pressed a hand over her heart and smiled. "It got a little easier after that. Oh it still hurt. Every holiday season was difficult to get through. But with time, I healed. I learned to appreciate the time I got to spend with you all before I was taken, and that time became so precious to me that I was able to get through Snoggletog with real peace and joy."

Her words stirred something in Hiccup's memory, and he frowned, thinking back. He saw his father in his mind's eye, standing tall, looking down in sad understanding at his son as the fifteen-year-old boy struggled with the absence of his Night Fury friend that first Snoggletog after the integration. That was the winter he'd given Toothless the new tail that adjusted automatically, allowing the dragon to fly without his human's help, and he'd gone missing for three days looking for Hiccup's lost helmet. Seeing that his son missed Toothless terribly, Stoick had given him some words of comfort.

"Listen," he'd said, "I know what it's like to miss someone you love this time of year. But what do we do when they can't be here for the holiday?…"

"We celebrate them," Hiccup murmured aloud. That's what Stoick had said. He hadn't fully understood it at the time, but now…

"Exactly," Valka said, smiling fully. "That's exactly what we do. And it's how we'll get through this holiday and each one after it. And don't forget," she added, pulling her son into a warm embrace. "You're not alone. You have me. You have Astrid, your friends and the village. We're all here to help you. Remember that, Hiccup."

Hiccup hugged her back. "Thanks, Mom," he murmured. "Happy Snoggletog."

"Happy Snoggletog, dear," Valka replied, drawing back and cupping his cheek in her hand. "Come on. Let's rejoin the party."

Hiccup smiled. "You go on. I'll be along in a moment." He glanced back up at the statue. "I'd…I'd like a few more minutes alone, please."

Valka nodded in understanding and turned away, heading over to where Cloudjumper and Toothless were playing (or rather, where Toothless was playing while Cloudjumper watched. The Night Fury's position as Alpha clearly hadn't changed that particular dynamic). Mounting atop Cloudjumper's back, Valka called, "Take as long as you need, Hiccup, but don't forget what I said."

Hiccup nodded in wordless thanks and turned back to the statue as Valka and Cloudjumper took off into the night.

…

Astrid was getting worried.

She'd fully expected for Hiccup to have returned by now. He'd been gone for nearly an hour. She'd noticed that Valka had left the party for a while – most likely to go search for her son, Astrid figured – and returned without him, looking at ease and contemplative. But where was Hiccup? Had he perhaps gotten hurt? The snow was pretty deep in some areas around the village. If he got separated from Toothless…

She made up her mind and left the Great Hall, mounting Stormfly the moment she was outside and launching into the air. The wind buffeted her face and she lowered herself in the saddle, clutching her hood around her head for protection from the cold. She squinted, trying to see, but the darkness was almost impenetrable.

For her eyes, at least.

Stormfly, on the other hand, squawked and changed course, heading toward the mountain. Astrid, knowing from experience that her dragon had sensed something, let her go, hoping against hope that they were on Hiccup's trail.

Her heart lifted in relief when she saw him, standing next to the statue of Stoick, gazing thoughtfully up at the stone face. Stormfly landed not too far away, but he didn't look around, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear her. Toothless' ears perked up, however, and he looked over at the newcomers as Astrid slid effortlessly from her dragon's back, her feet hitting the snow without a sound. She opened her mouth to call out a greeting, but Hiccup spoke first, cutting her off.

"How did that song go again?"

Astrid frowned in confusion for a moment before she realized he wasn't talking to her. He was speaking either to Toothless or to himself (really, it could have been either one; even Hiccup wouldn't have been able to say for sure).

Toothless looked back at his rider and warbled. Whether Hiccup took notice or not was hard to tell. He was still staring up at the statue.

Then he started to whistle a tune.

Astrid inhaled sharply. She recognized the melody. It was the song that Valka and Stoick had shared mere minutes before the chief's death. Hiccup had told her about their special moment in the depths of the Alpha's nest, and she'd asked Valka to teach her the lyrics and accompanying dance. She thought it was a beautiful song, but why…?

Then she understood. Hiccup was no longer dwelling on Stoick's death, choosing instead to look fondly back on a memory that was filled with laughter and delight. She felt a smile curve her lips and listened as Hiccup stopped whistling and started singing quietly.

"_I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you will marry me_"

He paused for a moment, smiling as he remembered watching his father sing to his mother, recalling the joy he'd felt at their reunion.

"_No scorching sun nor freezing cold_

_Will stop me on my journey_

_If you will promise me your heart_

_And love…_"

He stopped, frowning. He couldn't remember what came next. What was the next line…?

Astrid, still smiling, stepped forward and decided to help him remember.

"_And love me for eternity_"

Hiccup whirled around, his mouth open in shock. "Astrid?" he said. "What are you—"

Astrid reached up and put one finger to his lips, silencing him.

"_My dearest one, my darling dear_

_Your mighty words astound me_

_But I've no need of mighty deeds_

_When I feel your arms around me_"

She held up her arm and, after a moment, Hiccup smiled and imitated her, bracing his own against hers as they began the jig he'd seen his parents do that day. And as they danced, Hiccup picked up the song, the tempo increasing slightly.

"_But I would bring you rings of gold_

_I'd even sing you poetry_

_And I would keep you from all harm_

_If you would stay beside me_"

They messed up the steps of the dance and faltered slightly, but they didn't pause, laughing at their own stumbles and continuing as if nothing had happened. After all, their dragons were the only audience, and they were watching with interest. Toothless was flashing his namesake grin at the sight of his human so happy and carefree at last.

Astrid continued the song:

"_I have no use for rings of gold_

_I care not for your poetry_

_I only want your hand to hold_"

As they spun around, Hiccup interjected:

"_I only want you near me_"

They both sang at the top of their lungs, twirling around, gasping for breath in between lines and laughing joyously.

"_To love and kiss, to sweetly hold_

_For the dancing and the dreaming_

_Through all life's sorrows and delights_

_I'll keep your love inside me_"

The song got faster and faster, spinning toward its conclusion.

"_I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you will marry me_"

The song ended on a high note, and Hiccup lifted Astrid and spun her around, both of them laughing rather breathlessly. Even after Astrid's feet returned to earth, they continued to laugh like they hadn't in years. Hiccup couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy, so light-hearted, so…free.

"Will you?" he suddenly asked, looking into Astrid's eyes hopefully.

Astrid blinked. Was he asking what she thought he was? "What?"

"Will you marry me, Astrid?"

The words were simple, but the way he said it, filled with such simple sincerity and longing, made her heart melt. For a moment she could only gaze up at him, lost for words. Then she smiled, positively beamed up at him, and replied, "Yes. I will."

Hiccup's face broke into the widest smile she'd ever seen and he pulled her into his arms, planting his lips on hers in a passionate kiss that might have lasted hours for all she knew. She returned his embrace, running her hands through his hair and pressing herself as close to him as she could get.

After a while, they finally broke apart, though their arms remained wrapped around each other.

Then Astrid punched his shoulder.

Hiccup yelped. "What in Odin's name—!"

"That's for taking so long," Astrid informed him, grinning. Hiccup groaned and rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything she pulled him in for another kiss, this one much softer but no less meaningful. "And that's for everything else."

Hiccup found he couldn't string two thoughts coherently together, so he settled for grinning like a dork.

"We should go back," Astrid finally said.

Hiccup nodded and smirked. "Race you there."

Astrid mirrored his expression and said, "You're on!" She launched toward Stormfly and clambered on the Nadder's back as Hiccup jumped into Toothless' saddle. "Don't go easy on us!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Hiccup laughed just as the Night Fury took off, showering Astrid and Stormfly in the snow they kicked up.

"Hey!" Astrid cried, and then she chuckled darkly. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that one…"

Hiccup and Toothless won the race, though narrowly. They dismounted in front of the Great Hall, and Astrid called out playfully, "Cheater!"

"Poor sport!" Hiccup retorted with a chuckle.

In response, Astrid punched the little dial on the front of his flight suit, and the tailfin in the back popped out. He groaned wordlessly, and Astrid laughed.

They returned to the party and were greeted warmly by their friends and the other villagers. They announced their engagement, which was received with a deafening cheer and quite a few calls of, "About time!"

As the festivities resumed, Hiccup found his eyes drawn to the far wall, where the portraits of past chiefs and their sons stood. His gaze settled on the last one, the one of him and his father. His smile faltered for just a moment. He remembered that day well. He remembered the surge of pride he'd felt when he'd fully realized that Stoick loved him, that he didn't care he wasn't as big or burly as other Vikings.

He continued to gaze at the portrait for a while, and slowly his smile returned. "Happy Snoggletog, Dad," he murmured, so quietly that Astrid, standing just a foot away, didn't hear him. Toothless, sensing his friend was no longer sinking into depression, purred happily, and Hiccup gave him an affectionate scratch on the chin before turning away from the painting. It still hurt, and he knew he'd continue to miss his father for a long time, but now wasn't the time for mourning Stoick's death.

It was time to celebrate him.


	4. Hiccup the Useless, Part 1

Hiccup the Useless

Part 1

**A/N: This was originally going to be a one-shot, but it turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated. So…it's a three-shot, I guess… **

**This story is loosely based on/inspired by "The Real Hero" by SnowFlower Frost. I have their permission to use their story as inspiration. To read "The Real Hero," go to my Favorites list. **

**Also, even though this collection of stories is rated T, I want to give you guys a heads-up. This one is going to be a bit darker than the others. It contains angst, some language, and attempted suicide. (The latter two show up in Part 2.) Proceed with discretion. **

**One last thing: HTTYD belongs to Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks SKG. Don't know if I've said that already or if it needs to be said, but there it is. **

"Hiccup!"

The sixteen-year-old boy grimaced and looked up from his prone position on the ground. He had fallen. Again. Stupid metal leg. Was he ever going to get used to it? It had been six months since the battle with the Red Death. He ought to have been able to walk around the market without his leg giving out from underneath him. Yet here he was, on his stomach in the middle of the square with Vikings all rushing over to help him stand, his dragon Toothless staring down at him with unmistakable worry.

"I'm all right," he said automatically, taking an offered hand and pulling himself to his feet again. He wavered for a moment on his prosthetic but steadied after a couple of seconds. Cheeks flushed, he looked up at the Viking who had helped him up and said, "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied gruffly yet kindly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Hiccup Haddock replied, putting perhaps a little more force in the word than was strictly necessary. He laid a hand on Toothless' head, using the Night Fury for both physical and emotional support. "I'll be fine."

The man nodded and turned away, returning to his shopping and allowing Hiccup to do the same. He checked the list his father had written for him and mused, "Hmm…I think some bread is all we have left to get." He nodded and set off for the bread cart, Toothless tagging faithfully along beside him. The dragon crooned, and Hiccup looked down at him. "I'm all right, bud," he insisted. "Really."

The look in Toothless' big green eyes said quite plainly that the dragon wasn't convinced. Hiccup sighed and a small smile crossed his lips. "I know you worry, bud, and I appreciate it. But a little tumble in the market isn't going to ruin my day." He scratched the spot under Toothless' chin that he knew his friend absolutely loved. Toothless rumbled happily, and Hiccup chuckled.

"You okay there?"

Hiccup whirled around so fast that he almost collapsed again. Astrid Hofferson stood just behind him, a concerned smile on her face.

_Oh gods, of all the people to see me fall, it had to be her_, Hiccup thought with an inward groan.

"Hey there, Astrid," he said aloud, trying to sound nonchalant and not quite pulling it off. "What are you up to?"

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "Same as you. Shopping for my parents." She raised a bag clutched in her right hand with an unenthusiastic shrug. "You didn't answer my question."

Hiccup sighed. There was simply no escaping it. "I'm fine, Astrid. I just fell. Again. Nothing new there."

Astrid gave him a look that was full of understanding and compassion, and Hiccup felt his cheeks redden again. "It's okay, Hiccup," she said, taking a step toward him. He suddenly found it hard to breathe. "There's no shame in having a metal leg. It'll just take some time to get used to, that's all. No one thinks any less of you because of it."

Any retort he might have prepared was lost as he gazed at her. Smiling sweetly, Astrid leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, a kiss that effectively shut down his thought process. When she pulled back, she grinned at his wide-eyed expression. "Well, I'd better finish up here and get back home. See you later, Hiccup." She turned and began to walk away.

Hiccup finally unstuck his throat. "Astrid!"

Astrid paused and looked back at him. "Yes?"

Speaking without thought, he blurted, "Would you like to go on a date tonight? A night flight? Just the two of us and Toothless?" At the sound of his name, the black dragon gave his trademark gummy smile.

Astrid smiled. "I'd love to, Hiccup."

Hiccup grinned goofily. "Great. I'll pick you up at sunset?"

"Sunset," Astrid confirmed, and she continued on her way. Still grinning like a doofus, Hiccup headed over to the bread cart with perhaps a bit more of a spring in his step than before.

A few minutes later, their purchases complete, the pair stood at the base of the hill that led up to the house they shared with Stoick the Vast. Hiccup sighed. Even when he'd had both his legs, that climb had been tough. And now…

Toothless growled questioningly, and Hiccup replied, "No, bud. I can manage." He put the bundle of bread into a bag he'd attached to Toothless' saddle and resolutely began the long walk up the hill. Each step took a concentrated effort. It was a little easier than it once had been. For two months after his injury, he'd been forced to ride Toothless all the way up, unable to make the climb himself. He'd only recently been able to walk it on his own, without Toothless supporting him. But it still took several minutes to make it to the front door, and when he had he was red-faced and panting. Toothless made a sound of worry, but Hiccup waved him off. "No, I'm fine. I've got to learn how to do it by myself. It's the only way I'll heal."

The dragon didn't reply, but he didn't look convinced either.

Hiccup took a deep breath and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Figures. I can kill a dragon the size of a mountain and survive, but climbing up a hill does me in. Yeah. Sounds about right."

Toothless huffed, and Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ah, son, you're back!" Stoick called jovially from his chair by the fire, looking up as the door swung open and Hiccup stumbled in. "You find everything all right?"

"Yeah," Hiccup replied, still a little out of breath. "It's all in the bag." He gestured vaguely at the pack on Toothless' saddle.

Stoick's smile slipped as he observed his son, and a worried frown creased his forehead. He sighed. "Did you take the whole hill by yourself again, Hiccup?"

Hiccup winced. Was it that obvious? "Yeah, I did," he mumbled.

Stoick shook his head. "You shouldn't overexert yourself, son."

"I know," Hiccup interjected quickly, hoping to avoid another lecture on letting himself become accustomed to having a fake leg. "I thought I could handle it." After a pause he added, "I _am _getting better, though."

Stoick seemed to consider arguing further but settled on another sigh and a nod. "Well, that's good," he conceded, and Hiccup let out a breath in relief, knowing he had been spared. "Just be careful, Hiccup."

"I will," Hiccup replied with a grin. "I'm always careful."

Stoick raised his eyebrows but didn't contradict him. As he pulled the pack off Toothless' saddle, he asked, "You planning to go to the Academy this afternoon?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yep. Just as soon as I've fully caught my breath, Toothless and I will head on over." He quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll ride Toothless there."

Stoick nodded in satisfaction. "All right. Have fun. And try to be home in time for supper."

Smiling, Hiccup nodded. "I will." He rested for a few more minutes before he departed, leading Toothless back outside. He settled himself in the saddle and latched his metal foot in the special stirrup. With a happy roar, the dragon spread his wings and took off, and Hiccup couldn't stop himself from whooping in joy. "This never gets old!" he cried, and Stoick chuckled as the form of boy and reptile rapidly shrank into the distance.

"That dragon has done wonders for him," he mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully. He was about to turn back into the house when a flurry of motion caught his eye, and he paused. There was a man climbing the hill his son had just struggled up, holding a scroll in his upraised hand.

"Stoick!" he called. "This message just arrived for you!"

"Thank you, Sven," Stoick acknowledged, taking the scroll with a nod before retreating into the house to read it. With the first line his smile vanished. With the second line a worried frown clouded his features. His expression turned darker with every word, and when he had finished all the light in his eyes was gone.

_Not good. Not good at all… _

…

"Well that went well," Hiccup remarked as they flew high above the village.

Toothless grumbled in reply, and Hiccup shrugged. "Okay, yeah, so having Tuffnut set Snotlout's pants on fire was a downside, but hey, it could have been worse. And it's not like that hasn't happened before."

The sun was just beginning to lower toward the sea. Seeing it, Hiccup's heart gave a bound. Soon he would be flying with Astrid. Nothing could possibly bother him when he was with her. Not his friends' antics in the training arena, not his metal leg, nothing.

He directed Toothless to land in front of their house, choosing this time to forgo the difficult climb. As he dismounted, the door opened and Stoick emerged. "Hey Dad," Hiccup said cheerfully. "I've got a date with Astrid tonight. I'll be on my way just as soon as I grab my—"

"Hiccup," Stoick interrupted, and the stern tone of his voice made Hiccup freeze in his tracks. "I need you to stay inside tonight. I'm going to a meeting in the Great Hall and I might be awhile. Go ahead and have your supper, then go to bed. All right?"

"I…what?" Hiccup blinked in confusion. His father usually made him sit in on meetings to prepare him for becoming a chief someday. So why the orders to stay inside? "Uh, shouldn't I come with you?"

"Not this time, son," Stoick replied shortly. Hiccup frowned. Why was his father acting so distant? What was wrong? "I just need you to stay in the house. I'll explain to Astrid that you can't meet her tonight."

"Wait, Astrid's gonna be at the meeting?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick nodded. "Aye. The whole village will be there."

"Except me," Hiccup clarified.

Stoick nodded again. "Right."

There was a pause.

"Well…all right…if you're sure…?" The lilt in Hiccup's voice made it sound like a question.

"I am," was Stoick's only reply. Then he turned and headed further up the hill in the direction of the Great Hall. Hiccup watched him go with a bewildered look on his face before turning to Toothless.

"Well that was weird," he said.

Toothless warbled in agreement.

…

"I don't think it's a good idea, Stoick," said Gobber uneasily. "It's, well…"

"Vicious," Astrid provided, looking Stoick in the eye. "Cruel. There has to be a better way to do this."

"I'm open to suggestions," Stoick replied, not seeming the least bit offended by the girl's boldness.

No one said anything for a while. Then Fishlegs timidly spoke up. "We could…uh…tell him…?"

"Absolutely not," Stoick dismissed him. "And I don't need to tell you why."

There was silence for several minutes.

"Do you really think it'll work, Stoick?" Gobber asked, sounding as if he had some serious doubts.

Stoick nodded. "I think it's the only thing that will."

"And what of the consequences?"

The chief didn't reply to that for a while. Then he muttered, "It's the only way to keep him safe. And I will do whatever it takes to protect him."

…

Hiccup yawned as he descended the stairs the next morning, rubbing sleep from his eyes and trying his best not to tumble headlong to the first floor of the house. Toothless followed behind him, looking as though he desperately wanted to take his friend's tunic in his teeth and carry him. Six months had not made the boy any less clumsy. The dragon visibly relaxed when Hiccup set both feet on solid flooring again.

"Morning, Dad," Hiccup said.

Stoick, seated at the table, didn't even look up from the papers he was reading. "You're late, Hiccup."

Hiccup blinked and frowned. "Uh…"

"You were supposed to be at the forge ten minutes ago," Stoick continued, still not looking at his son.

Hiccup didn't know how to respond to his father's words or icy voice. He exchanged a glance with Toothless, who looked just as befuddled as he was. Looking back at Stoick, he stammered, "I, uh…I'm sorry, Dad. I'm on my way now."

Stoick merely grunted. "Don't let it happen again."

Hiccup stood for a moment longer just staring at his father. Then he turned and headed out the door. "What in Odin's name was that all about?" he said once he was safely outside and out of Stoick's hearing. "I mean, I've been late before and he's never acted like that. And it's only ten minutes! It's not like I slept the morning away or anything…"

Toothless warbled a confused response and Hiccup sighed. "Well, better not waste any time I guess," he said, and they descended the hill into town.

As they neared the village square, Hiccup caught sight of a pair of familiar faces. He grinned. "Hey Mulch, hi Bucket. How are you doing?"

To his surprise, Mulch merely continued walking, not even glancing towards the boy who had greeted him. Bucket, predictably, smiled a bit absently (he did everything a bit absently, truth be told) and waved. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mulch whipped around and punched his companion on the shoulder. "Ow!" Bucket yelped. "Sorry!" And then the pair continued on without so much as a glance Hiccup's way.

Hiccup came to a stop and watched them depart. "What…?"

"Oi! Move along boy! You're blocking the path!"

Hiccup jumped, startled, and quickly scurried away from the shouting Viking as he barreled past with a heavily-laden cart, glaring at the teenager and muttering darkly under his breath. But before Hiccup could express his surprise, hurt, and confusion, another Viking shoved him roughly, and he stumbled, only narrowly avoiding another tumble in the dirt. "Get out of the way!" the offending woman snarled, looking at him as if he was something unpleasant she'd found on the bottom of her boot.

Hiccup was too stunned to move. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide. For a moment he wondered if he was still asleep and having a bizarre dream.

Toothless nudged him, bringing him back to reality, and they retreated across the square to the forge. "Ah, there you are!" Gobber the Belch said, glancing up from his work. "I was beginning to wonder."

"Sorry, Gobber," Hiccup replied, picking up his apron and tying it around his waist. "I overslept a little."

Gobber shrugged and grunted and said nothing more about it.

"Hey Gobber?" Hiccup asked, trying to sound unconcerned but not quite pulling it off. "Why is everyone so…um…upset?" It didn't seem like the right word to use but it was all he could think of.

"What do you mean?" Gobber asked, not looking at him. There was an air of forced lightness to his voice that made Hiccup suspicious.

"Well, Dad scolded me for being late, Mulch wouldn't look at me when I said hi, and I was told to get out of the way twice in thirty seconds," Hiccup recited. "What's up with everyone? Did I miss something?"

Gobber shrugged. "Eh, they're probably just tired."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on the lackluster answer. Instead he asked conversationally, "So what was the big meeting about last night? Dad wouldn't let me attend for some reason."

Gobber paused for maybe three seconds before answering smoothly, "Oh, we were planning Snotlout's party."

Hiccup frowned and wondered if he'd forgotten something…again. It would certainly explain why Stoick was so upset with him. Everyone else though… "Oh?" he inquired. "What's the occasion?"

Gobber laughed. "Why, celebrating his defeat of the Red Death, of course! What else?"

The hammer Hiccup had been wielding missed the sword he was working on and clanged loudly before falling from his grip and hitting the floor. He made no move to retrieve it, staring at Gobber in open-mouthed speechlessness. Gobber continued working as if unaware of how his words had thrown his young apprentice off-balance. "Snotlout's defeat of…Snotlout…I…what?" Hiccup finally managed to splutter.

Gobber nodded, inspecting the axe he had finished hammering. "Yeah. And about time, too. Been six months after all. What with incorporating the dragons into our daily lives and all there just hasn't been time to celebrate. It's tonight at sundown in the Great Hall. Everyone will be there to hail the hero."

Hiccup's knees threatened to buckle. His head spun. "Gobber," he said slowly, "I'm the one who defeated the Red Death, remember?"

Gobber finally turned to look at him, and he was laughing. "You?!" he gasped between great guffaws. "You? Defeater of the Red Death? Oh that's a funny one, Hiccup. Best joke you've ever told!"

Hiccup exchanged a bewildered glance with Toothless, who looked just as stunned and nonplussed as he did. "I'm not joking!" he finally managed to say. "How else would I have gotten this?" He gestured down at his metal leg.

"Uh, you tried to help out during the battle but fell off that dragon of yours," Gobber explained with the air of someone trying to convince a stubborn child that one and one made two. "Clumsy as ever."

"That's…not how I remember it," Hiccup retorted.

Gobber shrugged. "Well, I can't help it if you have an overactive imagination, lad."

Hiccup didn't know how to reply. His chest felt as though it was being squeezed by an unseen force, preventing him from drawing a full breath. Was this some kind of prank? Retaliation for some unremembered wrong he'd done? Was the whole village in on this?

His last question was answered almost at once. He heard a great cheer rise from the people in the square, and he looked out in time to see his cousin Snotlout strut into view, looking, if possible, even cockier than usual. "There he is!" someone cried.

"The Dragon Conqueror!"

"Defeater of the Red Death!"

"Hero of Berk!"

Hiccup watched in silence as Snotlout bowed haughtily to the adoring crowd, his expression sickeningly smug. He felt anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Snotlout? That idiot? Defeater of the Red Death? Were they serious?

Clearly they were. Throughout the day, whenever Snotlout appeared (did he always make this many public appearances or was he out and about more than usual today?) he was greeted with cheers and adulations. And whenever someone looked at Hiccup, there was undeniable disdain in their eyes, as if they were all silently asking him why he couldn't be more like their new hero. By the afternoon, Hiccup was making a concentrated effort to stay in the back of the shop as much as possible in order to avoid these accusing stares.

"Did I imagine it?" Hiccup wondered aloud after hearing yet another cheer go up for Snotlout. "Did I imagine defeating the Red Death?"

He looked over at Toothless, who was curled up in a corner, watching him. "No," he answered himself. "We did that. We defeated the Red Death, right bud?"

Toothless crooned and nodded.

"You shot a fireball into her mouth. It ignited the gas inside her. Destroyed her from the inside out."

The dragon nodded again.

"I didn't imagine it."

Toothless shook his head.

"It really happened."

Nod.

"We did that. Not Snotlout."

Nod.

Hiccup imitated his dragon's head motion. "Right. I thought so."

So why didn't anyone else remember it that way?

At sundown, Gobber closed up shop and led Hiccup and Toothless up to the Great Hall for the big party. Even though his metal leg pained him, the young Viking determinedly climbed the stairs on his own, refusing Toothless' help despite the difficulty. Naturally this meant the trek to the hall took longer than usual, with the result that he and his dragon were the last to arrive. The hall was packed with beefy (and rather smelly) Vikings all cheering and praising their new hero. None of them spared Hiccup a glance.

Hiccup led Toothless away from the crowd, leaning against a far wall and looking dispiritedly around at the gathering. There hadn't been a party for him when he'd woken up missing a leg. Not that he'd really wanted one: Hiccup wasn't a particularly social person. But still, the injustice of this bewildering turn of events stung, and he couldn't pretend otherwise.

He frowned as he observed Snotlout. His cousin looked so smug and pleased with himself that it made him feel nauseous to watch. He made a sound of disgust and looked away. His eyes fell on the row of portraits that hung on the wall of all the past chiefs and their sons. A small smile turned the corners of his mouth as he remembered posing with his father for Bucket, who, after an admittedly disastrous first attempt, had captured them admirably well. That was the day Hiccup felt sure that Stoick loved him and was proud of him, that he didn't need to be big and strong in order to win his father's affection. It was one of the best days of his…

His smile slipped from his face, leaving his jaw slack with shock, confusion, and pain. The second portrait, the one that he liked, the one that showed him for who he really was, was gone. In its place stood the awful original, the first painting Bucket had done, the one that portrayed him as big, beefy, and, well…Viking-ish. The one he had hated for all its implications that he wasn't a proper Viking…

"Hey Dad?"

Stoick, who had been talking animatedly with Gobber, looked around at his son's call. He didn't look pleased at the interruption but Hiccup pressed on. "What happened to the other portrait?"

Stoick's gaze flickered for a moment to the painting and he shrugged unconcernedly. "I got rid of it," he said carelessly.

Hiccup felt his insides turn to stone. "Wh-why?" he stammered.

"Because I like this one better," Stoick replied in a cool voice Hiccup had never heard him use before, at least not towards his own son. Hiccup didn't dare ask why his father's opinion had suddenly changed. He had the distinct feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

Apparently satisfied that the conversation was over, Stoick turned back to Gobber, leaving Hiccup to stare at the portrait in disbelief, a nameless feeling starting to churn and grow deep inside him. He couldn't quite place what it was yet but…

"Hey, Hiccup."

He whirled around and found himself face-to-face with Astrid. As they did whenever he saw his girlfriend, his spirits couldn't help but lift just a bit. He grinned at her, though he knew the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, Astrid. Look, I'm sorry about our plans for last night…"

Astrid waved him off. "Oh it's fine, Hiccup. Your dad explained it to me. We'll take a night flight some other time."

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

"So," Astrid continued after a moment, "some party, huh?"

Hiccup snorted and glanced over at his cousin, who was striking a series of masculine poses that normally would have had everyone either rolling their eyes or gagging. Tonight, however, the crowd was going wild with delight.

"Yeah," he said bitterly. "Some party."

Astrid would have had to have been deaf to not pick up on Hiccup's displeasure. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Hiccup sighed. "What's wrong?" he repeated exasperatedly. "What's right? Yesterday everything was normal, then I wake up this morning and suddenly everyone's saying that Snotlout defeated the Red Death and I'm suddenly the town screw-up again and no one will tell me what is going on or why! I'm…what's so funny?"

Astrid was laughing.

"Oh Hiccup," she said between chuckles. "Who do you think defeated the Red Death? Fishlegs?"

Hiccup felt his heart clench. He was a moment in replying. "Astrid, I defeated the Red Death! Toothless and I did that together! Don't you remember?"

Astrid was still chortling. "Oh Hiccup, you are good for a laugh, I'll give you that!"

Hiccup's legs threatened to buckle from underneath him. He leaned on Toothless for support, and the dragon warbled in worry. Hiccup didn't acknowledge him. No, not Astrid too…of all of the people on Berk, he had been certain he could count on her. He'd fully expected for her to tell him why everyone was suddenly so convinced Snotlout had brought peace to the island and not to worry about it because she knew the truth and would stand by him no matter what…but now…

His eyes hardened and he turned away. "Well I'm glad I'm good for something," he said sardonically.

As he wasn't looking at Astrid, he didn't see when her smile faded and a look of guilt and sadness flickered across her features. She pulled her grin back in place so quickly that, even if he had noticed it, he wouldn't have been certain he'd really seen the change at all.

But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the ugly portrait again, and that strange feeling was bubbling in the pit of his stomach once more. This time he knew what it was: anger. He suddenly realized what it was about the painting he hated so much: it made him look like Snotlout.

"Why now?" he suddenly demanded, still looking at the portrait. "It's been six months, and for those six months everyone treated me like I was…like I was a part of them. Like I belonged. I fit in. Why has everyone suddenly turned on me? Why does everyone glare at me in the streets? Why do people look at me like I'm…like I'm a…"

He stiffened suddenly. He'd just realized what they were all treating him like.

"…like I'm a hiccup?"

He turned to look at Astrid again. She was gazing at him with a faint smile on her face, an expression that didn't look the least bit cheerful. "Well Hiccup…that's what you are." She shrugged. "No point in trying to pretend otherwise."

Hiccup was so stung by this that he didn't answer for a minute. He just gaped at Astrid, wondering if he had really heard those words come from her mouth. Astrid, the girl he trusted, the girl he _loved_, had just told him that he was a hiccup, a runt, a mistake. No, it wasn't possible…she couldn't have said such a thing, could she…?

Then cold realization hit him, and he barely contained his rage when he said, "Well you wouldn't want to be seen with a hiccup, now would you Astrid? That would totally ruin the image you've been trying to build for yourself."

Now it was Astrid's turn to look surprised. "What do you—"

"Why don't you go hang out with the _Hero of Berk_?" Hiccup interrupted, placing an unpleasant emphasis on the title. "Snotlout is a much better match for you than I am, obviously. He's got it all: title, respect, muscle, and the brain of a limpet. What a pair you two make."

He felt an odd combination of regret and savage satisfaction at the look of stunned disbelief plastered to Astrid's face. For a long moment she simply stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Then she closed it with a scowl and said coldly, "You know, maybe you're right." And before he could say anything else – before he could see the tears starting to well in her eyes – she turned and stormed off.

Hiccup watched her march right up to Snotlout and whisper something in his ear, something that made him grin like a total idiot. She then took his hand in hers…and kissed him on the cheek.

Hiccup turned away, quite certain that his heart was breaking. Toothless crooned sadly, and Hiccup rested a hand on his head. "I should have known better," he managed to choke out. "I should have known it was too good to be true. No one in their right mind would choose a hiccup over a hero."

Toothless growled softly at his friend's self-deprecation, but Hiccup just shook his head. "Let's go home, bud. If I stay here I'll go insane."

But he wasn't going to get out of it so easily. As he made his way to the massive doors that separated him from freedom, he was intercepted by Stoick, who sternly ordered him to stay for the duration of the celebration, "as a proper show of respect for our hero." And of course the party went on till early the next morning, so Hiccup was forced to endure hours upon hours of utter torture, watching from the shadows as Snotlout was heaped with praises. The only attention he got all night was the occasional glare from a passing Viking. Poor Hiccup had never felt so alone, so hated, so…

"Out of the way, Useless!" someone barked as they bustled past, nearly pushing Hiccup to the floor.

Useless. The boy let out a hollow laugh. Hiccup the Useless. It was a name Snotlout had created for him when they were kids, once it was certain that he was going to turn out small and scrawny. It had hounded him for years, right up until the time he had killed the Red Death. And now…now it seemed it had come back with a vengeance.

The sky was starting to lighten by the time Hiccup finally collapsed into bed. Waking up a mere two hours later, he hoped and prayed that the previous day had just been a terrible nightmare, that today everything would be back to normal. This hope was dashed the moment he descended the stairs, as his father was waiting for him, looking distinctly peeved. "Get on with it, you lazy boy!" he barked. "Did you plan on sleeping the whole day? You have work to do! Now get going!"

Hiccup didn't bother to correct Stoick. Really, what would have been the point?

Even though he was expecting it this time, seeing all the villagers glaring at him and muttering under their breath was no easier today than it had been the day before. If anything, it was worse. The confusion and bewilderment were wearing off, and hurt and betrayal were taking their place. Toothless stood faithfully by his side, growling at anyone who got too close to his human, but he was incapable of fully lifting the boy's spirits.

There was one bright spot on the horizon, however. Hiccup was going to the Dragon Training Academy that afternoon to teach another class. If there was anything that could ease the pain he was suddenly being subjected to, it was being on the back of a dragon, teaching his friends how to strengthen their bonds with their reptile companions. Sure, the thought of facing Astrid and Snotlout had his stomach doing backflips, but there was still Fishlegs and the twins. Perhaps Ruffnut and Tuffnut were a bit too crazy for his liking sometimes, but they were dependable, and Fishlegs had become a rather close friend after the integration of dragons into their lives. So with a slightly lighter heart, Hiccup flew Toothless over to the arena after lunch, prepared to spend his afternoon doing something he was good at, something he loved…

But his smile abruptly vanished when he entered the ring. The others were already there, and they were all staring at him like he was a five-year-old kid sibling constantly getting in the way. "What are you doing here?" Fishlegs sneered at him.

"I…I…" Hiccup cleared his throat. "I'm here to teach you all about…"

His chosen topic was drowned out by laughter.

"You? Teach _us_?" Fishlegs laughed. "Oh please! Get out of here, Hiccup. _I'm _teaching this class, and I'm not going to waste my time with you. Go somewhere you're wanted, Useless."

Hiccup just stared at him. Fishlegs had never spoken to him like that. He had always been at least cordial. Even before they had become friends he had been polite to Hiccup, if a little distant. He would have expected this kind of reception from Snotlout, but Fishlegs…?

His gaze roved over the faces of the other teens. None of them looked like they were going to come to his defense. Ruff and Tuff were still laughing at Hiccup's delusions of teaching. Snotlout, predictably, was puffing himself up to make himself look more impressive and intimidating. Astrid, however, wasn't even looking at him. She had her back to him, focusing her attention entirely on her dragon Stormfly. She hadn't looked at him once since the moment he'd walked in. It was perhaps this that made Hiccup blurt out, "What did I ever do to you? Any of you? Will someone please explain what it is I've done to make everyone hate me so much?"

No one answered him. Fishlegs waved him away like he was an annoying fly before turning to the others and beginning his lesson as if he'd never been interrupted.

And Astrid never once looked his way.

…

Days turned into weeks, and each hour felt like a lifetime to Hiccup. He went about his days with his head bowed and eyes downcast. He rarely talked and smiled even less. After all there wasn't much to talk or smile about. He'd gone from being beloved and respected to hated and despised, and he still had no idea why. The only beings capable of bringing a spark of life to his eyes were Toothless, who stayed by his human's side unfailingly, and Gobber. The blacksmith was the only human who hadn't turned his back on the boy. He still insisted that Snotlout had defeated the Red Death, but he at least treated Hiccup like he was a human being. And given everything else he was facing, Hiccup felt fortunate for that small favor.

One morning, a month after his sudden fall from grace, Hiccup found himself once again in the market, picking up items for Stoick. Every merchant he talked to looked down at him like he was a common slave. Noses wrinkled, eyes like stone, lips firmly set into straight lines void of all warmth. Hiccup made his purchases with as few words as possible, keeping his head and voice low, wishing the whole time that he could simply vanish.

As he turned away from the apple cart, his prosthetic snagged a loose stone, and he toppled like a felled tree. A chorus of laughter rang out around him as every Viking in the square turned to point and make jokes. "What a show, Useless!" one of them cried. "It takes real talent to trip like that!" No one reached out to help him to his feet this time except Toothless, who whined at the sight of his human looking so dejected and forlorn.

"Thanks, Toothless," Hiccup murmured, placing a hand on his dragon's forehead. "Come on. Let's drop this stuff off at the house and get to the forge before Dad thinks I'm shirking my responsibilities again."

He rode Toothless up to the house instead of climbing the hill himself this time. He set the bags of purchased goods on the kitchen table, not looking at Stoick, knowing that all he'd see was disappointment in his father's eyes. Without a word he departed again, not seeing that Stoick was watching him, not in disappointment, but in sadness. "Hiccup…" he sighed. "Hang in there."

Hiccup mounted Toothless again and the two friends rode to the forge, the boy keeping his gaze down to avoid the stares of the other Vikings. Toothless wasn't nearly as shy: he growled and snapped at anyone who so much as looked at his human the wrong way. Hiccup couldn't help but smile weakly and patted his friend, silently thanking him. Toothless crooned.

When they reached the forge, Gobber looked up and waved with his hook. "There you are!" he called jovially.

"Sorry," Hiccup said, dismounting his dragon and heading over to where his apron hung. "Dad sent me to get some stuff from the market."

"Eh, don't trouble yourself over it," Gobber replied with an airy shrug. "I figured you had a good reason."

The words were simple, but they filled Hiccup with…perhaps not joy, but a sense of peace that he had been missing for a month now. It was nice to have someone trust him implicitly like that. He paused in the middle of pulling his apron on.

"Hey, Gobber?"

"Mm?" Gobber replied, barely glancing up from his work.

"Thanks. For…well…for not turning against me."

Gobber paused in his hammering and looked at Hiccup properly. "Eh?"

Hiccup tied the apron and sighed. "Everyone else on Berk has started treating me like I'm not even human, just because I…I'm not big and strong like the other Vikings. Dad hasn't smiled at me in a month. My…my _friends_…" He had to force the word out. "…think I'm not worth their time. A-Astrid would rather be with the hero Snotlout than with me. And the other villagers just think I get in the way. I'm Hiccup the Useless now, did you know that? That's what everyone calls me. Everyone except you. You're the only one who still treats me the same as before, and…well…thanks."

Gobber gazed at him with an odd expression on his face. Pity? Then he shrugged and said, "Don't mention it, lad," and returned to his work. Smiling faintly, Hiccup picked up a sword and set to work.

A few minutes later, a burly Viking stepped up to the counter and started talking to Gobber. Hiccup didn't pay them any mind until the blacksmith called, "Hiccup, would you go into the back and fetch my spare hammer?"

Hiccup frowned. There were several hammers lying about the shop. Why did Gobber need another? But it wasn't his job to question his boss, so he nodded and said, "Be right back."

Passing a snoozing Toothless, he stepped into the back room, which he had unofficially commandeered several years ago as his inventing room. It was here that the Mangler that had shot down Toothless had been born. But it was still technically Gobber's shop, so naturally there were tools and materials strewn about amid Hiccup's papers and designs.

As he rummaged about, he heard the Viking at the counter exclaim, "Did Useless make this?! Great Thor Almighty, it's terrible!"

Hiccup flinched. One month was not enough time to make him immune to insults, and he had always prided himself on his attention to detail, especially in his blacksmithing. He hoped Gobber would come to his defense. Thor knew he needed someone to defend him besides a dragon that couldn't speak Norse…

"Yeah I know," Gobber sighed. "I'd hoped that he'd be better by now, but the lad's utterly hopeless. Worst blacksmith in the history of Berk! I just don't have the heart to tell him…"

There was a loud clang. It took Hiccup several moments to realize it had come from the hammer that had slipped from his slackened fingers. No. Not Gobber too. Not when he'd thought there was actually someone on Berk who cared…

Hiccup suddenly stiffened. This was too much. He had just bared his soul to Gobber and this was how he was repaid? Fists clenched at his sides, he turned on his heel and stepped back into the main shop. Gobber looked up at his reentrance and raised his eyebrows, but before he could speak, Hiccup snarled, "Worst blacksmith in the history of Berk?!"

Gobber blinked and said nothing.

"I trusted you!" Hiccup cried, unable to stop his voice from shaking. "I thought you were different! I thought you…I thought you actually cared…I…" He yanked the apron off and flung it aside. He was close to tears. He had to get out of here before they started to flow. He couldn't be seen crying…it would only make the others believe in his weakness more than they already did…

"I quit!"

And without another word, he woke Toothless and fled the shop, the confused Night Fury bounding along behind him.

"Hiccup!" Gobber called, but the Viking at the counter put a hand on his shoulder.

"It can't be helped, Gobber," he said sadly. "We have to do this. You know that."

Gobber shook his head and said nothing in reply.


	5. Hiccup the Useless, Part 2

Hiccup the Useless

Part 2

**A/N: Yeah, this is the part that contains the language and self-harm. Just so you know. That said, I hope you're enjoying the story. **

If Hiccup thought things couldn't possibly get worse, he was quickly proved wrong. When he headed downstairs the next morning, the first words out of Stoick's mouth were, "You have a new job."

Hiccup paused with one foot dangling over the bottommost step, staring blankly at his father. "I…what?"

"Since you quit working at the forge…" The tone of Stoick's voice made his opinion on that particular decision quite clear. "…I have found you a new job. You will go into the forest and help the men chop down trees for firewood. You'd better get going. They're expecting you."

Hiccup felt his stomach drop. Chopping down trees? Him? This couldn't end well. But he knew arguing would only make his father angry, so he sighed and said, "Okay," in a small voice that Stoick almost didn't hear. He continued his descent down the stairs and headed to the door, Toothless on his heels. At least with his friend there, the job would be bearable…

As if reading his thoughts, Stoick called out, "And the dragon stays here."

Hiccup whirled around. "What? But Dad—"

"No buts," Stoick growled. His eyes were cold. "The dragon stays here. Now get a move on."

Hiccup gazed miserably at his father for a moment, praying he'd change his mind. When he didn't, he turned to Toothless, his heart clenching as he said, "You have to stay, bud. I'll see you later."

Toothless warbled in confusion and tried to follow Hiccup out the door, but his human held up a hand and said, "No, Toothless. Stay." There was no conviction in his voice. The dragon knew the boy wanted him by his side. But Hiccup turned away, closing the door between them and trying to ignore the anguished roar he heard from within the house.

His worst fears were confirmed when he joined the other men in the forest. This new job was a nightmare. He wasn't strong enough to properly wield an axe, which made hitting his mark all but impossible. He was out of breath after only a few swings, but whenever he paused to recover someone would bark out orders for him to keep working. He heard the words "lazy," "pathetic," "worthless," "weak," and of course "useless" thrown at him like rocks all throughout the day. He wasn't given a lunch break, forced to work on while the others took their time enjoying their midday meal. By the afternoon his stomach was growling loudly but he didn't stop, working on and on until the sun began its downward descent toward the sea. Only then was he allowed to put down his axe and trudge home, tired, hungry, and dreading the dawn when he'd have to come back and do it all over again.

Toothless almost bowled him over when he opened the door of his house, and despite his misery Hiccup couldn't quite suppress a smile. "I'm glad to see you too, bud," he said, resting his hand on the dragon's nose.

He satisfied his hunger with a supper of fish and bread before dragging himself up the stairs. Toothless rumbled questioningly. "No, bud. No flying tonight. Too tired," Hiccup said around a huge yawn. Toothless grumbled quietly but didn't fight it. Instead, he helped his human up to bed, resting his head atop Hiccup's stomach as he lay down. Hiccup chuckled weakly and whispered, "Thanks, Toothless," before falling asleep mere seconds later.

The second day was no better than the first, nor was the third or fourth. Weeks passed and still Hiccup slaved on in the forests. He had hoped that things would improve with time, but if anything they were getting worse. He was still fumbling with the axe and unable to swing it with enough force to properly cut down anything. Instead of helping out, the other workers piled more work on him, choosing to stand back and watch him struggle rather than lift a finger to help. Every day Hiccup came home weak, exhausted, with legs trembling and threatening to give out from underneath him. He went without food for most of the day, only able to eat a quick breakfast before work and a meager supper when he returned in the evening. Worst of all, his flights with Toothless came to a complete stop. There was no time during the day, and at night he was simply too tired. Toothless was getting restless with being grounded but sensed that his human's needs were greater than his own. The Night Fury was always there for Hiccup, waiting for him at the door every night, accompanying him up to bed and lying down with his head resting within arm's reach of his sleeping companion.

One night, about a month after starting his new job, Hiccup came home a little earlier than usual. He hadn't slept well the previous night, and after dropping his axe no less than forty-two times, the boss had sent him away. Hiccup wasn't complaining. He had plans for that extra time. "Come on, bud," he said in between hurried mouthfuls of bread. "We're going flying."

Toothless could barely hold himself still while Hiccup saddled him up, and the moment his human was atop his back he launched into the air. Depressed and exhausted though he was, Hiccup couldn't help but cry out in delight as his hair whipped back and the wind stung his face. Oh how he had missed this! This feeling of freedom that came with flying. For the first time in forever, he was able to convince himself that he was free from everything that had been holding him down for so long. Up here in the sky, nothing could touch him. No one could glare at him or drop hints about his uselessness. It was just him and Toothless. No one else.

Hiccup sighed as Toothless leveled off and began to soar over the island. He didn't feel up to trying anything too daring – he was extremely tired, after all – but a simple relaxing flight was just as good. It gave him a chance to think about everything that had happened over the last two months.

"I just don't get it," he said after a moment. "One moment everything's great and the next I'm pushed aside like a smelly boot. Why? I mean, if they want to hail Snotlout as a hero, that's fine by me. But why after six months? And why do they have to treat me like I'm not even human? And it's only getting worse…" He considered it for a minute. "Were they all pretending to like me? Why would they do that?" After a moment's thought he continued, "They used me, didn't they? They used me to defeat the Red Death and then tossed me out like garbage. All because I'm not a proper Viking. It looks better to say Snotlout killed the Red Death instead of the village screw-up…"

Toothless warbled sadly, and Hiccup patted him on the head with a faint smile. "Thanks, Toothless," he murmured. "Thanks for always being there for me. You're the only one who never pretended."

Toothless crooned, and Hiccup sighed again, leaning back. "I wish I didn't have to go back. I wish we could just leave, you and me. Just the two of us…" He suddenly straightened, his brain whirring. "You know…why not? There's certainly nothing keeping me on Berk. No one would care if I disappeared, they've all made that crystal clear. Yeah!" He was starting to get excited. "Come on, bud. Let's go back home. I'll pack up and once everyone's asleep we'll take off and never come back!"

Toothless rumbled happily and angled back toward Berk. Hiccup could hardly contain his sudden enthusiasm. For the first time in months, he had something to be happy about.

…

"I really don't think this is a good idea…"

"I have to do it. You know I do. It's the only way to make it all complete."

"You'll destroy him if you do this. He'll never forgive you."

"He will…eventually. He'll understand that it was necessary. It will be hard, I know, and I certainly don't want to do it, but it must be done."

"No. It's going too far."

"I have to protect him! We've been over this! This is the only way!"

"There's protecting him, and then there's utterly destroying him. I'm afraid what you're about to do will cause too much damage, damage that can't be repaired."

"I…have considered that, and it's a risk I feel I must take. I knew from the start that this would be hard on all of us, and on him most of all. But I will stop at nothing to keep him from harm."

"…Well, I guess I can only hope you're right. If you're wrong…gods help that poor boy…"

…

Hiccup landed Toothless and led him up to the front door of his house. "It won't take long for me to pack, bud," he whispered. "Then we just have to wait till everyone's asleep, and that shouldn't be too…uh, Dad? What's…what's going on?"

Hiccup had opened the door to find his father standing in front of the fire, accompanied by Gobber, his uncle Spitelout, and four other big, burly Vikings. None of them were smiling.

"Hiccup," Stoick said tonelessly. "There you are. Where have you been?"

"Uh…" Hiccup glanced at his dragon worriedly. "We went for a flight."

Stoick sighed. "I see. Come here."

Hiccup hesitated for just a moment before stepping toward his father, his unease written plainly on his face. "Is…is everything…ow!" Stoick grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him toward the stairs. "Dad, what's going on?! What're you doing?!"

Stoick didn't answer him. Instead he called back to the others, "Take the dragon away."

Hiccup suddenly couldn't breathe. "W-what?!" he yelped. "No! No, not Toothless!"

The other Vikings all closed in around the Night Fury, who crouched and snarled threateningly, but he was outnumbered. In no time, he was restrained and being forced from the house, roaring at the top of his lungs.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled. "No! Dad, you can't do this!"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Stoick snarled, pulling his son up the stairs. "The dragon is being taken to your cousin Snotlout. He's his dragon now."

"No…oh gods no!" Hiccup pulled as hard as he could but Stoick's grip on his arm was like a vice and he couldn't free himself. "Please Dad, don't take Toothless! I can't lose him! He's all I've got! Please Dad, I'm begging you! If you've ever cared for me at all, the way a father cares for his son, then please, please don't take Toothless away from me!"

Stoick gazed down at him, and for one moment Hiccup thought he would recant his decision. Then he said, "You have done nothing to earn that dragon. Snotlout is far more deserving than you are, and if you don't get your act together he will be taking your place as my heir. Think long and hard about that one, Hiccup."

And with that, he shoved Hiccup into his room, slamming the door shut behind him, hoping his son hadn't noticed the look of pain in his own eyes.

Hiccup stood motionless for several moments, staring blankly at the door, his pulse pounding in his head. The shock and horror of the situation left him paralyzed. It couldn't have happened…it wasn't possible…

Then he screamed and launched himself at the door. It wouldn't budge: Stoick had barred it from the other side. He rained his fists on the wood, pounding and yelling his dragon's name at the top of his lungs. When it became clear that he wasn't getting out that way, he turned to the hole in the roof he'd cut long ago so that Toothless could come and go as he pleased, only to find that it had been boarded over. His room was now his prison, and Toothless was gone.

"No…no…no…" Hiccup ran his hands through his hair, desperately searching for a way out and finding none. "Gods, please don't let it be true…not Toothless…not him…please… please don't take him away from me…please…please…"

The gods weren't listening to him.

He collapsed on his bed and curled up in a ball, murmuring, "No…please…please…" as sobs started to wrack his body. Tears pooled up and spilled from his eyes and he made no effort to stem their flow. A giant hand had just torn into his chest, leaving a Toothless-sized hole in its wake. With his dragon he had been able to deal with his rejection, never quite happy but able to exist. But without him…what was he supposed to do?

Hiccup's sobs continued long into the night. It was almost dawn before he finally cried himself to sleep. And when he awoke, he was changed. Stoick noticed it at once when his son came downstairs in the morning. Ever since the day of Snotlout's party, Hiccup had become more distant, retreating into himself and making eye contact as seldom as possible. But he had always seemed…well, alive. Now…now his body moved as if controlled by puppet strings. He kept his head bowed and eyes on the ground. His back was slightly hunched and his arms were folded across his chest. "Hiccup," Stoick said, "get to the forest. You're going to be…"

He trailed off as Hiccup glanced up at him. It was only for a moment, not even a full second, but when their eyes met Stoick felt a chill go down his spine. The light he'd always seen in his son's eyes had been extinguished. He was little more than a walking corpse.

He didn't say anything. He didn't even acknowledge that his father had spoken. He merely walked to the door and stepped out into the cloudy, overcast day. Stoick stared after him for a long time, wondering if perhaps he had taken things too far after all…

Hiccup didn't say a word throughout the entire day. He picked up his axe when he joined the other men in the forest and began chopping as best he could. He was still clumsy and his accuracy was deplorable, but no one made any snide comments today. Perhaps they saw the same lifelessness in him that Stoick had.

He came out of his stupor only once. Around midday the telltale screech of a Night Fury tore the air, and he looked up sharply in time to see a black shape dart across the sky, punctuated by the sound of Snotlout whooping in delight. They were gone in seconds, but Hiccup continued to stare up at the clouds, his eyes shiny and threatening tears. He returned to his work before anyone could tell him he was being lazy, and everyone present was downright alarmed by how violently Hiccup attacked the tree before him, felling it faster than any he'd chopped before. It was this uncharacteristic show of aggression that persuaded the boss to let him off early. Hiccup didn't speak when he was released, not to thank his superior or to inquire the reason behind his dismissal. He merely swung his axe into the nearest available stump and walked away.

He didn't pause on his walk home until he reached the base of the hill his house sat on. He'd been forced to climb it alone for a month now, but it hadn't gotten easier. If anything, his exhaustion from weeks of hard labor made each day's return harder than the last. About a third of the way up, his prosthetic snagged a tangle of grass and he went down hard. He made no move to pull himself up immediately, choosing instead to simply lie there, taking deep ragged breaths that could have been mistaken for sobs.

He was alone. And he couldn't stand it.

"I can't," he gasped aloud. He didn't know who he was speaking to. Maybe it was to the gods that seemed to have abandoned him. "I can't do it…I'm so tired…no more…no more…"

With tremendous effort he forced himself to his feet and finished the climb, panting heavily by the time he opened the door. Stoick was seated at the fire, talking to Gobber. They both looked up in surprise at his entrance. "Hiccup," Gobber said, standing. "Didn't expect you back so soon. Done early?"

Hiccup didn't answer. He didn't even look at the man he had once trusted, the man he had once seen as a kind of uncle. He merely turned to the stairs and began to climb to his room.

"Supper will be ready soon!" Stoick called up after him. The only answer he got was the sound of a door slamming shut.

Once out of sight of the two Vikings, Hiccup allowed his façade to crumble. He fell heavily onto his bed and started to cry into his hands, his shoulders shaking, loud sobs escaping from between his fingers. He tried to muffle the noise, but the sounds carried down to the men below, and they looked sadly at each other.

"Don't look at me like that," Stoick said after a moment. "You know I had to."

Gobber shook his head but didn't reply.

Hiccup's tears slowed after a few minutes, his vision clearing enough for him to grab his sketchbook from his bedside table. Opening to a blank page, he gripped a charcoal pencil in his left hand and started to scribble.

_Hiccup the Useless_, he wrote in big letters across the top of the page. Then underneath that he listed off, _Worthless. Mistake. Unwanted. Unloved. Weak. Wimp. Screw-up. Worst Viking in the history of Vikings. _

He paused, gazing blankly down at the paper. He wasn't sure why he was doing this. Release? He tore the page out and started on the next:

_They all hate me. _

_Dad – not the perfect son. Not a perfect Viking. I'm a disappointment. _

_Astrid – too weak. Not a hero. Deserves someone better than me. _

_Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut – not strong enough, not smart enough, don't fit in. Never have, never will. I don't belong. _

_Gobber – worst blacksmith Berk's ever known. _

_Toothless _

He stopped, his hand shaking and eyes threatening to spill again. He took a deep breath and continued writing.

_Toothless – taken from me for my incompetence. For my failure. For being useless. _

There was that word again. Seeing it in print made fury boil up within him. He tore this page out and scrawled in big letters on a third page: _I'm hated because I'm ME! _

He'd been wrong to try finding release with this. He certainly didn't feel any better. With a wordless cry of mingled pain and rage he snapped the sketchbook shut and hurled it across the room. It landed on his worktable, knocking something long, thin, and shiny to the floor.

His dagger.

He stared at it for a moment, his expression suddenly blank, almost thoughtful. He stood up and walked over to it, bending down to take the blade into his hand. Straightening, he stared at the little weapon. Small, like him. Tiny, easy to overlook, yet still capable of great harm.

He returned to his bed and sat down on it, his eyes never leaving the knife. The blade was sharp, he knew that. He was always careful to keep his tools in prime condition.

_Why not? _

Who would miss him? Certainly not his father, or Astrid, or his friends, or Gobber, or anyone else in the village. Heck, they'd probably all throw a huge party once he was out of their way for good. The only one who would grieve was Toothless, but he had a new master now.

Without consciously making a decision to do so, he took the knife in his left hand and pressed it to his right wrist, creasing the skin. One slash, that's all it would take. It would be easy. One quick slash and he'd feel no more pain. No more being looked upon as a disappointment, a nuisance…

He gasped and drew the knife back, his hands shaking. No, this was stupid, he shouldn't even being considering it. It was the ultimate act of cowardice to take one's own life, he knew that.

_Coward. Just one more word to add to the list_, a nasty voice in his head whispered. _Really, what's one more name? How could they possibly think any less of you than they already do? Besides, you won't have to deal with their criticisms about your cowardice. You'll be in a better place. _

_You'll be with Mom. _

He inhaled sharply at that thought and slowly pressed the blade against his skin once more. His heart hammered in his chest and his lungs seemed incapable of drawing a complete breath. He could do it. It would be easy. No more pain, no more heartbreak, no more…no more being a hiccup. He'd be able to see his mother again, the one person he was sure would have loved him no matter what.

He hesitated for just a second longer.

Then he grunted and drew the blade swiftly across his wrist.

The knife fell to the floor with a clatter as blood spurted upward from the gash he'd made. Almost at once he started to feel dizzy, though maybe that was a result of seeing so much blood rather than its actual loss. He reached up with his left hand and doused his fingers, gazing down at the crimson fluid in almost detached fascination. This was his lifesource, his essence, a part of who he was.

_I am Hiccup_… he thought, and without thinking he wrote the name HICCUP in his own blood on the bedsheets beside him.

_I am Hiccup the Useless_…

Under his name he wrote USELESS, having to press his fingers to his wound again for enough blood to finish the word. His vision was starting to blur, and his heart gave a bound. He only had a few minutes left now.

_I am Hiccup the Useless, and I'm sorry… _

He wrote SORRY on the sheets.

…_I'm sorry I couldn't be the Viking you all wanted me to be… _

The Y of SORRY came out lopsided as he fell back onto his bed. He felt heavy and dull, lethargic, without the strength to hold himself up any longer. He couldn't see much anymore: just a vague distorted mass that must have been the rafters of his house. They were the last things he'd ever see and for some reason this knowledge didn't bother him.

_What do you know? _he thought dimly as the world around him faded to black. _I finally managed to do something right. _

And then the darkness claimed him.

…

"I'm going to tell him," Stoick said aloud as he climbed the stairs to Hiccup's room. "He's hurting too much now. I have to tell him."

He knocked on his son's bedroom door. "Hiccup? Dinner's ready."

There was no answer from within. Stoick knocked again. "Hiccup? Son, come out here. You need to eat. And…we need to talk."

Still nothing. Frowning, Stoick pushed the door open and peered inside.

Hiccup was lying back on his bed, his skin alarmingly pale. Blood was pooled around him, dripping steadily onto the floor. Eyes widening, Stoick saw that its source was a mangled gash on Hiccup's right wrist.

There was a beat. Then Stoick bellowed, "HICCUP!" and charged over to the bed, bending down and cradling his son in his arms. Hiccup's body was limp and unresponsive. His face was blank, his eyes closed peacefully. He could have been sleeping. Could have been…

"Oh gods…oh gods no…" Stoick moaned. He pressed an ear to Hiccup's chest. There was a faint, sluggish _tha-thump_, _tha-thump_, and he exhaled in momentary relief. He was alive…for now…

"GOBBER!" Stoick screamed, and the blacksmith came charging up the stairs.

"Holy Mother of Thor!" he exclaimed on seeing Hiccup. And all the blood.

"Get Gothi!" Stoick ordered in a tone that allowed for no argument. Not that Gobber would have argued anyway. "He's still alive, but barely. Tell her that he's…" His voice broke. "…he's slashed his wrist. Get her over here now! GO!"

Gobber took off without another word. Stoick heard him yelling for the healer the moment he was outside and knew that the whole village would soon know about all this. But at that moment he didn't care.

"Oh Hiccup," he moaned, holding his son's limp form close, clamping a hand down on his injured wrist in an attempt to stem the blood flow. "Stay with me, son. Please, please don't leave me. You're going to be all right. Everything's going to be all right." Tears started to spill into his great beard but he made no move to wipe them away.

Then his eyes fell on the three words written on the sheets in his son's blood. His heart stuttered.

"Oh gods…what have I done?"

…

"When will he wake up?"

"Hard to say. He lost a lot of blood."

"But he'll be okay, right?"

"Aye, he will. He'll be weak and dizzy for a few days, but Gothi says he'll pull through."

"He's a fighter. He's strong. He survived losing a leg, he can survive this. He will."

"I hope you're right. Gods, I hope you're right."

The words made sense, but Hiccup found it impossible to put them into context as he lay there, slowly rising from unconsciousness. His head felt heavy, as if someone had removed his brain and replaced it with metal from the forge. His arms and legs didn't seem to want to move, either. It seemed easiest to simply lie here in this bed and go back to sleep, except that there was something niggling in the back of his mind, something he couldn't quite remember.

And of course, he could hardly sleep with all those voices speaking around him. Seriously, was the whole village crammed into his bedroom?

"I did this." Hiccup recognized the voice as his father's. "I pushed him too far. You were right, all of you. I should never have gone through with it."

"We're all to blame, Stoick," came Gobber's voice, low and soothing. "We all had a hand in this."

"But it was my idea," Stoick countered. "I'm the chief, the responsibility for this lies with me and me alone." He sighed. "What kind of father does this to his own son?"

"You were only doing what you thought was best," Gobber replied. "No one's perfect, Stoick."

Stoick snorted. "There's being imperfect, and then there's driving your own son to try killing himself."

Something about these words seemed to bring Hiccup's mind back to life, though he still couldn't quite recall what had occurred to make him feel so lethargic. Something had happened to him…something bad…

There was a low crooning sound from his left, and as if waiting for this cue, Hiccup forced his eyes open. "T-Toothless?" he croaked, looking around.

The black dragon warbled in relief and licked his human's face. Hiccup grimaced but let out a weak chuckle. "Happy to see you too, bud."

He reached up to pat the Night Fury's head, but his hands still felt heavy and clumsy. He looked down at them, and out of the corner of his eye noticed the others. He froze, his eyes widening in confusion. There were people in his bedroom. Stoick was sitting in a chair near his pillow. Gobber stood just behind him. Hiccup's eyes scanned the crowd. Astrid was there. So was Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut. His uncle Spitelout. The healer Gothi. Mulch and Bucket. And even though he couldn't see them, he could sense that there were more people on the stairs leading up to his room. And they were all looking at him in a strange mixture of guilt, apprehension, and relief.

Remembering the voices he'd heard in his half-conscious state, he thought, _Wow, the whole village really _is _here…_

"D-Dad?" he stammered, sitting up. "What…ooh…" His vision blurred and the room spun as he moved. He clenched his eyes shut, thinking he might be sick, and clutched his forehead with one hand. His right hand.

"Easy, son," Stoick whispered, gently pushing him back into the bed. "Just take it easy. You've had a rough night."

"What are you…"

He fell silent. He had opened his eyes with his hand still clamped to his forehead, and his gaze had fallen on the thick layers of bandages that were wrapped around his wrist. He drew his hand back and blinked, nonplussed. When had he injured his wrist?

And then everything came flooding back: the rejection, the taunts, the hurt, losing Toothless, deciding to end it all…

His face broke, and his raised his hands to cover his eyes as they started to fill with tears. "Oh gods…" he gasped. "Oh gods I really _am _useless!"

"Hiccup," Stoick sighed, looking utterly lost.

"I couldn't even kill myself properly!" Hiccup moaned, his voice shaking. "Hiccup the Useless, the only Viking who can't kill anything, even himself!"

Stoick felt his heart break again. "Hiccup, you are not useless," he said firmly.

Hiccup turned away, rolling over onto his side, facing Toothless. The dragon rumbled in concern, clueless as to how to make his human feel better. "Why couldn't you just let me die?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands. "Why? It would have been better for everyone. I'd have been out of your way. No one would have had to deal with me anymore…"

"Hiccup, you're my son!" Stoick cried. "I couldn't let you go! I need you, son. We all do."

Hiccup paused and turned his head, looking back at his father in confusion. "W-what?"

"Hiccup, nothing that's happened over the past two months has been real," Stoick said quickly, apparently hoping that confessing as rapidly as possible would make it easier. "You're not useless, son. You are the Dragon Trainer, the conqueror of the Red Death, the hero of Berk, the pride of the Haddock family." He reached out and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You are my son, Hiccup. And…I love you. So much."

Hiccup stared at him, bewildered. After two months of disappointed glares and scolding, this sudden switch was more than he could handle. "I…I don't…what…"

Stoick sighed. "In a few days, we will be receiving a visit from Chief Mogadon of the Meathead Tribe. In his letter he expressed great interest in meeting our fabled Dragon Conqueror." He looked significantly down at Hiccup, who merely blinked and stayed silent. "Mogadon is…a collector of sorts. He likes to collect rare and exotic items, anything that is one-of-a-kind or unusual. When he mentioned meeting the Dragon Conqueror, I read between the lines. He would love to take you and add you to his collection, son.

"I couldn't let it happen. I was afraid. So I came up with a plan and called a meeting one night – that meeting you weren't allowed to attend – to tell everyone. The plan was that we would pretend Snotlout was the Dragon Conqueror. Hiccup, my boy, you're just so small and skinny that I feared you wouldn't last in battle if it came to that. Snotlout is bigger and stronger and looks more intimidating, and he could probably hold his own in a fight with Mogadon if necessary. I hoped that, by pretending Snotlout was the hero, Mogadon would be persuaded to not attempt anything, but even if he tried to take him, Snotlout would be able to protect himself.

"So we had to pretend that Snotlout defeated the Red Death and then make you appear as insignificant as possible so as not to attract Mogadon's attention. And I'm sorry to say that it meant we had to hurt you. We had to make you look and feel like a, well…" He broke eye contact with his son for a moment. "…a hiccup."

There was a long silence. Hiccup stared up at his father, his face blank and expressionless. There was a war waging in his eyes, though, the emotions flicking in and out so much that it was impossible for Stoick to see what he was feeling.

After a moment Hiccup croaked out, "Why…why didn't you just tell me? I…I wouldn't have minded pretending…"

Stoick shook his head. "No offense, son, but you're not good at acting or lying or keeping secrets. I feared that, if we told you, the game would be up before it started, and then Mogadon would declare war on us for trying to hide you from him. I thought…I thought it best for you not to know. Once you'd experienced it, you'd be able to play the part with no problem."

Silence fell again. Hiccup looked at his father for a long time before turning away to gaze up at Toothless. The dragon rumbled quietly, but Hiccup didn't respond. He turned his eyes down, staring at his injured wrist. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. All that came out was a faint croak, and he snapped his jaws shut once more. No one said anything, watching apprehensively as he took in this sudden revelation.

Finally, his voice soft and toneless, Hiccup said, "So let me get this straight. You made me feel like I was useless, pushed me down, ignored me, treated me worse than a slave, took away everything that means anything to me, hurt me over and over again…for two months…in an attempt to…_protect me_?" He looked up at his father, waiting for his answer.

Stoick, not really knowing how to interpret Hiccup's expression, nodded. "Aye. That's right."

Hiccup stared at him, his face vacant. His eyes then roved over the others gathered around his bed, pausing for maybe a second longer on Astrid and Gobber. Then his gaze flickered back to his father. He sat up, ignoring the way his head swam at the sudden motion.

"Dad," he said in a voice that was slow, careful, and measured, "I didn't know it was possible for you to be this incredibly stupid."

A collective gasp went around the room. Stoick pulled back, his eyes wide in shock. No one said anything for a moment. Hiccup began to shake as rage started breaking through his carefully-maintained façade.

"I…" Stoick finally unstuck his throat. "I thought—"

"No you didn't think!" Hiccup snapped. "That's your problem! You never think! You never think about how your decisions are going to affect people! You decided to go off and find the dragons' nest even though I tried to tell you it was a hopeless battle! And you decided to hurt me instead of telling me the truth! The first time, I lost my leg. The second time, I tried to kill myself." He gripped his bandaged wrist, his knuckles white. "How many times am I going to have to injure myself before you finally decide to use your brain?! How many more times am I going to have to almost die before you realize that maybe your ideas suck?! How many more times are you going to hurt me?! How many more of your mistakes am I going to have to pay for?!"

A ringing silence followed this tirade. Hiccup, visibly trembling by now, looked away from the people around him, gazing down at his hands, drawing deep, shuddering breaths. Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I'm sorry," Stoick finally managed to choke out. "I never…never wanted to hurt you like this, son."

Hiccup scoffed. "Never wanted to hurt me…" he repeated. He looked up at Toothless, who gazed sadly back. "Never wanted to hurt me…that's a laugh…"

"I was trying to protect you!" Stoick added, a pleading note entering his voice.

"Yeah, and how did that turn out for you?" Hiccup retorted coldly. "Gods, it's so great having a father who has absolutely no confidence in my ability to defend myself."

"That's not what I—"

"It's exactly what you meant," Hiccup interrupted. "Despite everything I've done, everything I've been through, you still see me as a useless little runt who can't take care of himself. Have you forgotten that I killed a dragon the size of a mountain? All the battles with Alvin and the Outcasts? Dagur and the Berserkers? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I can actually hold my own against an enemy? Did you forget about Toothless?" He gestured to the dragon at his side. "As long as I've got him beside me, nothing can harm me. You know that, Dad, yet still you thought hurting me was a better alternative than actually telling me what was going on so that maybe I'd be able to, oh I don't know, recognize a threat when I saw one?" He shook his head. "Thanks, Dad. Thanks for confirming that I really am useless in your eyes."

"You're not useless!" Stoick insisted. "Son, none of that was real—"

"Not real?!" Hiccup shouted. "Not real?! You think the pain you put me through wasn't real? That the last two months of torture weren't real? That _this_…" He thrust his wrist out and privately relished the sight of Stoick flinching away from it. "…isn't real?! How dare you! How dare you sit there and tell me that all this was just pretend, make-believe, that it _wasn't real_! You…" He faltered, his fury and heartbreak so intense that words failed him completely. He turned away, curling up as sobs finally burst from his chest, unstoppable. Stoick, at a loss, reached toward him, but Hiccup recoiled away and snarled, "_Don't fucking touch me!_"

There was another collective gasp. No one had ever heard Hiccup swear before.

"Get out!" Hiccup said. "All of you, get out!"

No one moved. "Hiccup—" Stoick began weakly.

"Get out of my room!" Hiccup screamed. "Get out of here! Get out! I hate you! I hate all of you! Get out, godsdamn it! Get out, _get out_, GET OUT!"

Any thoughts of trying to stay were immediately shattered when Toothless snarled and crouched into a predatory stance, ready to defend his human. Stoick, deciding that it was best not to antagonize an angry Night Fury, hastily stood and followed the others out the door. Astrid looked like she wanted to stay and speak, but Stoick forced her out. Soon he was the only other person left in the room. He paused just long enough to glance back at Hiccup. His son was curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably, his whole body shaking in grief and rage. Stoick felt his own heart clench at seeing his son so broken, but Toothless was still growling, so he retreated without another word.

The moment the door was shut, Toothless ceased his defense and crooned down at Hiccup. The boy raised his head from his hands and threw his arms around his friend's neck, sobbing loudly into the shiny black scales. Toothless moaned softly deep in his throat, wondering what he could possibly do to ease his human's pain.

"T-Toothless," Hiccup gasped. "H-how…how could they d-do this to me? How c-could they hurt me s-so badly then say that n-none of it was r-real? How…how could they…?"

Toothless suddenly rose up onto his hind legs, and Hiccup, his arms still wrapped firmly around the dragon's neck, rose with him. He yelped in shock and confusion as Toothless waddled away from the bed, Hiccup dangling in front of him, swinging slightly to and fro. Then the dragon gently lowered to all fours again, allowing his human to stand for a brief moment before crumpling, his legs unsteady from losing so much blood.

He never hit the floor, though. Toothless was there to catch him.

"Toothless?" Hiccup looked up in bewilderment. "What are you…"

Toothless flashed his gummy smile, and Hiccup fell silent, understanding at last. His voice was thick with emotion when he murmured, "Thanks, bud."

He settled down, snuggling into his dragon's side. His scales were warm and soothing, and he sighed comfortably. Toothless curled his tail around, letting the remaining tailfin rest over Hiccup like a sheet. Hiccup allowed his eyes to close, pressing himself into the Night Fury, seeking and finding reassurance from the dragon's body. This was the one creature that had never turned on him, never doubted him, always stood by him no matter what, would never abandon him…

Before sleep claimed him, Hiccup whispered, "I love you, Toothless."

Toothless crooned back, and Hiccup didn't need to know the dragons' language to understand what he'd said.


	6. Hiccup the Useless, Part 3

Hiccup the Useless

Part 3

**A/N: I promise, the worst is behind you now. It's all relatively uphill from here. I hope you're enjoying this despite the dark subject matter. **

"I'm a terrible father," Stoick moaned, putting his head in his hands.

It was morning, the sun peeking over the horizon and throwing Berk into faint golden light. Stoick hated the brightness of the day: it was a stark contrast to the storm raging in his chest.

Across the table from him, Gobber placed a comforting hand on the chief's. "Nah… just…a little misguided," he tried to comfort.

Stoick snorted and didn't reply for a moment. He didn't need to speak to make it clear he thought "misguided" was a massive understatement.

"I have to try and fix this," he finally muttered, standing and bustling around for some food, placing a fish and some bread on a plate.

"How?" Gobber asked.

"I don't know," Stoick admitted, filling a cup with water. "Somehow. I have to win back his trust."

"That'll be difficult," Gobber remarked, taking a swig from his mug. "You heard what he said last night. He hates us right now. It'll be awhile before he's ready to forgive us."

"I know, but…" Stoick sighed and headed for the stairs. "I have to try."

Gobber said nothing more, and Stoick ascended to his son's bedroom. He knocked on the door and called, "Hiccup? Are you awake, son?" Getting no answer, he cautiously pushed the door open.

The first thing he saw was the empty bed. His heart dropped. "Hiccup? Where…"

He trailed off as he noticed Toothless curled up on the other side of the room, his head up and ear fins perked alertly. His eyes had slit pupils that didn't look the least bit friendly. Hiccup was lying against the dragon's side, clearly still asleep. Stoick breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Toothless," he said cautiously, wishing he'd grabbed a basket of fish for the obviously-angry dragon.

Toothless growled.

"Easy, boy," Stoick soothed. "I know I'm not your favorite person right now."

Toothless continued to growl warningly. Stoick frowned for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then an idea came to him. It was crazy, but…

He sighed and lowered himself to the floor, placing the breakfast tray aside, and lowered his head submissively. Toothless, surprised in spite of himself, stopped growling but continued to glare at him.

After a moment, Stoick spoke. "Thank you, Toothless…for being there for him when no one was. When I should have been. I know you didn't do it for me, but I appreciate it all the same."

Toothless cocked his head to the side.

Stoick took a deep breath and continued, "I know I've made a terrible mistake. I know I've hurt him. All I ask is that you give me the chance to make things right. Please," he added when Toothless' expression didn't change, "let me try to help him. I promise, if he doesn't want me here, I'll leave him be. I know it's going to take some time before he trusts me again, but I want to make things right, no matter how long it takes. Please, Toothless…" He held out his hand. The Night Fury regarded it warily. "…let me try to fix this mess I've made."

Toothless stared at him, apparently considering Stoick's words. Then he huffed in a way that said quite clearly, "If you hurt him again, I will tear you apart." Then he leaned forward until his nose touched Stoick's outstretched fingers. The chief smiled weakly. "Thank you, Toothless."

Toothless rumbled quietly and shifted his tail, exposing the sleeping boy at his side. "Hiccup?" Stoick reached out and gently shook his son's shoulder. Hiccup stirred and opened his eyes groggily. For a moment he seemed confused, as if he didn't know how he'd ended up on the floor. Then he saw his father and his eyes widened. He shrank back into Toothless' side, watching Stoick with a wary, mistrustful, even angry look that was eerily similar to the one Toothless had worn moments before.

"I…" Stoick suddenly forgot everything he'd planned on saying. He cleared his throat. "I brought you some breakfast." He picked up the tray and placed it in front of Hiccup. The boy didn't move, choosing to continue staring at his father. His expression had turned cold.

Stoick gulped and then silently chastised himself. He was a chief, for the gods' sakes! He should be capable of speaking to his own son without getting tongue-tied or nervous. Yet there was no denying it: he was unnerved by the hard stare Hiccup leveled at him. It was filled with silent accusations, accusations that Stoick couldn't counter.

"I…" Stoick stammered, "I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry, Hiccup. You were right, I should have trusted you with the truth instead of…well…" He looked away, unable to bear looking into his son's eyes anymore while they were so icy. "I know you're in pain, son, and I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But I hope that, in time, you'll be able to forgive us…to forgive me…for what we've done."

He chanced another glance at Hiccup. His expression hadn't changed. Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with his son right now, he sighed and stood. Toothless watched his every move warily, as did the boy by his side. "I'll leave you to your breakfast, then. If you need anything, anything at all, give me a yell and I'll come running. I mean it." He walked over to the door and paused on the threshold. Hesitantly he looked back over his shoulder. Hiccup was still staring daggers at him. "I love you, Hiccup. I know I've done a rotten job of showing it, but it's true. And I'm so sorry. If I could go back and change it…"

Hiccup finally looked away, and his meaning was clear: dismissal. Stoick didn't finish his sentence. He merely sighed and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

_Odin_, he thought as he descended the stairs to where Gobber waited expectantly, _this is going to be a long battle. _

…

Hiccup didn't say a word to him throughout the day. Stoick popped in every few hours to see if his son needed anything, but every time Hiccup merely looked away pointedly, refusing to speak. Stoick, knowing it would do no good to argue, particularly with that Night Fury there to protect him, withdrew each time without complaint, though he couldn't keep the look of disappointment and sadness off his face every time his son rejected his attempts to reconcile.

But even though he said nothing to his father, Hiccup was far from silent that day. Whenever he was alone in the room with Toothless, he would talk to his dragon friend, sometimes ranting, other times thoughtfully contemplating.

After Stoick delivered his breakfast and left, Hiccup looked down at the dish he'd left. True, he was starving. He hadn't eaten at all the previous day but had been too depressed to care. Now his stomach was making its displeasure known in no uncertain terms. Yet he still hesitated to pick up the bread and fish. He snorted. "Does he think that by offering me food he can just erase the past two months?"

Toothless warbled in agreement. Nevertheless, Hiccup sighed and picked up the bread, devouring it in seconds. The fish he gave to his dragon. It was a small act of defiance, but it made him feel slightly better. That and he knew how much Toothless loved cod.

After Stoick delivered lunch, this time thinking to bring a basketful of fish for Toothless, Hiccup sighed and asked the dragon, "Am I being unreasonable?"

Toothless crooned between mouthfuls of fish. Hiccup snorted. "I don't think I am. After what they put me through they deserve whatever I do. They deserve my hatred, and they certainly don't deserve my forgiveness…"

He trailed off, frowning. Despite his words, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He was a forgiving person by nature, and he hated to hold grudges. He'd been subjected to bullying before, mostly from his cousin Snotlout, and the others had never come to his defense. After the battle with the Red Death, Astrid had been the only one to ever actually apologize for hurting him or for not coming to his defense. Yet he forgave all of them without having to be asked.

This, though…this was a different matter. They'd done some serious harm this time. He'd been able to bounce back from their hurtful words before, but this time they'd beaten even that resilience out of him, leaving him broken and alone. He was damaged, and he wasn't sure he could be repaired.

He told all this to Toothless, who listened with his head tilted to one side. "What do you think, bud?" he asked. "Should I forgive them anyway? Is it right to hang on to this anger?"

When Toothless didn't offer more than a noncommittal grunt, Hiccup groaned and lowered his head into his hands. "I'm so confused. What they did…it still hurts. Even knowing that it was all _pretend_…" He scoffed. "…doesn't help. If anything it makes it worse. I can't just let that go. Even if I wanted to, I can't. But how long do I hold onto it before I start forgiving? Or have they finally gone past the point of forgiveness entirely this time? I don't know…I just don't know…"

Toothless nudged him, and his meaning was clear: _No matter what you choose to do, I'll stand by your side. _Hiccup smiled and stroked his forehead. "Thanks, bud."

…

Astrid spent the entire day wondering what might have happened had she decided not to go along with Stoick's plan.

She had been vehemently against it from the start. She'd known how badly her words and actions would hurt Hiccup. She'd known he wasn't going to be pleased when he found out the whole thing was a ploy. But even she had never dreamed Hiccup would try to end his own life. He'd always been so…sturdy? It wasn't quite the right word but it was all she could come up with. He'd always persevered, even when his life was at its bleakest. The very idea that he would attempt suicide was foreign to her.

Yet she had seen the bloody gash in his wrist. She'd seen the words scrawled in blood. She'd read the scribbled notes in the pages of his sketchbook, found lying open on his worktable.

_Astrid – too weak. Not a hero. Deserves someone better than me. _

"But I don't want anyone else," she said aloud, and then looked around quickly in case someone had overheard her.

If she hadn't obeyed Stoick's command, Hiccup would have known from the start that the village's show of hatred was false. She could have saved him two months of heartbreak. She could have. Easily.

So why hadn't she?

She didn't know how to answer that.

She'd gone up to Hiccup's house first thing in the morning, but Stoick had firmly told her that Hiccup wasn't to have visitors that day. She accepted begrudgingly. After all, he was the chief, and Hiccup was in a lot of pain. She figured he needed the time alone.

But the following morning, she returned, and she wasn't taking no for an answer this time. She had to talk to him. She had to tell him how sorry she was. She had to tell him that she loved him, that she'd never stopped.

Stoick answered the door again. "Astrid. You're back." He didn't sound surprised.

"Chief, please, I must see him," Astrid said, a note of urgency in her voice.

Stoick hesitated. "I…don't know if that's wise, lass. He's…still angry…" When Astrid's determined expression didn't change, he sighed and added, "I'll ask him if he wants to see you, all right? If he says yes, I'll let you up. But if he says no…"

"I'll leave," Astrid finished for him, nodding. Anything to be let inside. Besides, Hiccup wouldn't turn her away…right?

Stoick let her in and told her to wait while he climbed the stairs. He knocked on his son's door. "Hiccup?" he asked, peeking cautiously, nervously in. "Astrid's here. She wants to see you."

Hiccup blinked and gazed up at him. He hadn't moved from his spot beside Toothless.

"If you don't want to see her, I'll send her away," Stoick added.

Hiccup was silent for a moment longer. He exchanged a glance with Toothless, and then he nodded. "All right," he said, and Stoick started. They were the first words his son had said to him since he'd ordered them all out of his room. "I'll see her. Send her up."

Surprised and slightly hopeful, the chief nodded and withdrew. "You're in luck," he told Astrid when he returned to the first floor. "He says he'll see you."

Astrid smiled and took the stairs two at a time, entering the room without knocking. Like Stoick, she paused in confusion at seeing the empty bed, but her face cleared when she saw Hiccup lying in Toothless' protective grasp. She blinked, momentarily stunned. Hiccup's face was set in a cool, slightly aloof expression. There was no warmth in his eyes. She swallowed a lump in her throat. This was going to be harder than she'd first thought.

"Uh…hi," she said, and she hated the way her voice quavered.

Hiccup nodded to her. "Hello, Astrid," he said quietly.

_He's still hurting. And very, very angry_, Astrid thought. She tried to smile in a way she hoped was comforting and stepped forward to sit before him. Toothless watched her, his pupils in slits, but made no move to stop her.

"So…how are you?" she asked, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Hiccup's expression didn't change. "I've been better."

Astrid nodded and an awkward silence fell between them. She found that she had a hard time making eye contact. The look on his face was…unnerving.

Suddenly the words burst from her lips as if of their own accord, "Hiccup I'm so sorry, I never wanted to hurt you, I thought the idea was stupid from the beginning and I tried to argue against it but then the chief made us swear to stick to the plan and I agreed because, well, he's the chief and I can't disobey him, I swear I never wanted to cause you that kind of pain, I know it was wrong and that I should have told you everything from the start, you wouldn't be in this position if I had and…and…I'm sorry." She flushed and looked down at her hands.

Hiccup didn't say anything for a moment. He watched her silently throughout her rambling and continued to gaze thoughtfully at her when she'd fallen silent. Astrid wondered if he was going to say anything at all.

Then he hummed quietly and said, "You said something just now that I don't understand. Mind clarifying for me?"

Astrid looked up and replied, "Which part?"

"The bit about why you went along with the plan even though you knew it was stupid and only going to cause me unnecessary pain," Hiccup specified. "Why was that again?"

Astrid thought, trying to remember what she'd said in her little outburst. Then she answered, "I…I did it because Stoick told us to. It was a direct order from the chief. I couldn't disobey…what?"

Hiccup was shaking his head. "No, _wouldn't _disobey," he corrected. "You _could _have, but you _didn't_. There's a world of difference between these two concepts, Astrid."

Astrid opened her mouth but nothing came out for a moment. She finally spluttered, "But…Hiccup! Your father's the chief! I couldn't just—"

"Since when has my father's status as chief ever stopped you – or any of us – from disobeying him?" Hiccup interrupted. "We've gone behind his back before, Astrid, remember? The whole purpose of our Flight Club was to ride dragons without my father's knowledge. So forgive me if I find it doubtful that you spent two months ignoring me and pretending I didn't exist just because he told you to. No. There was another reason. What was it, Astrid? I think I have the right to know why you felt destroying me was a good idea."

Astrid's mouth was hanging open and she couldn't think of a single word to say. Hiccup secretly found her speechlessness amusing, but he refused to crack a smile. "Never mind. There's no need to answer. I already know." He looked her right in the eye and declared, "You did it because you were afraid."

Astrid unstuck her throat. "Afraid?" she repeated as if the word was foreign to her.

"Yes, afraid," Hiccup confirmed, nodding. "You were afraid to disobey because you knew you'd be the only one who did. It's the same reason you never stood up for me before, when Snotlout and the others were bullying me. You didn't want to be the one who allied yourself with Hiccup the Useless, too afraid of what it would do to your reputation. The great and mighty Astrid Hofferson helping out poor weak little Hiccup, what a blow that would have been to your image."

Astrid's face was turning red with anger. "That's not true!"

"It is true!" Hiccup snapped. "You didn't help me then because you feared for your reputation, and you didn't help me now because you feared you'd be the only one who did. You were afraid of being cast out like I was. You feared that by disobeying my father's orders you would lose the respect of the village. So you went along with the charade, despite knowing how it was affecting me, perhaps hoping I would be all nice and understanding when it was all over and the truth was revealed, that I would easily forgive your cowardice and everything would go back to normal—"

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!" Astrid fairly shrieked. "Are you calling me a coward?!"

Hiccup didn't flinch the way she'd hoped he would. "You know what?" he snarled, staring her down. "Maybe I am."

There was a ringing silence. Astrid was breathing heavily out of a combination of fury and bewilderment, and she was determinedly looking into Hiccup's eyes, refusing to be the first to look away…

But Hiccup's eyes bored into hers, their green depths stony and unyielding. She finally broke off the stare, hating herself for it. When had Hiccup become so assertive?

"You see, Astrid?" he said after a moment in a quiet voice that seemed so out of place following their shouting. "Words can cause just as much damage as an axe or sword. And those wounds take a long time to heal."

Astrid blinked and looked back up at him. He was gazing at her in a way that made her feel that he could see through her. It made her shiver. And there was a strange glint in his eyes. Was it pity?

She suddenly had to get out of there. This meeting hadn't gone at all the way she'd hoped and she had to sort out everything that had happened between them. She stood up abruptly. Hiccup watched her, impassive, as she strode to the door, pulled it open, and departed without so much as a backward glance. She didn't speak to Stoick when she descended the stairs. She simply walked out the front door into the daylight, her head still reeling.

She had to be alone for a while. She had to think.

…

"I need to think," Hiccup told Toothless. It was mid-afternoon. Stoick had brought him lunch but the food was untouched. The thought of food made his stomach churn. His brain was a whirlwind of activity but he was unable to string two thoughts coherently together. Maybe it was his proximity to the village. He could practically feel the looks of worry and pity that everyone was sending his way, even though the walls of the house separated him from Berk.

He needed to be alone, somewhere he could relax and unwind without anyone interrupting him. His bedroom simply wasn't isolated enough.

He grinned suddenly as a thought occurred to him. "Hey bud, what do you say we go to the cove for a bit?"

Toothless absolutely loved the idea. Hiccup could tell because the dragon started quivering underneath him in excitement. He chuckled. "All right, bud. But we have to be sneaky. Everyone will notice if we go flying out of here. Besides, the window's still covered." He gestured up to the boarded-up hole in the roof. "We'll have to sneak out the back door. From there we'll run. Well…you'll run and I'll ride. I'm still too weak to run myself." He stood up and proved his words by swaying on the spot. Toothless helped stabilize him. "Thanks, bud. Hmm…should I leave a note?" He shook his head and said at once, "No. Let them fret for a little while. Besides, if they really know me, they'll know where to look."

He nodded, satisfied, and walked over to the door. He opened it, listening carefully. He'd heard his father leave earlier to attend to his chiefly duties, but he wanted to make absolutely certain they were alone in the house. He heard nothing from downstairs, so he preceded Toothless to the main level and out the back door. Elated at being able to breathe fresh air again, Hiccup leapt onto his dragon's back, ignoring the way his head spun at the sudden burst of motion. Even if they weren't going to be airborne (there was no time to fasten the prosthetic tailfin), it still felt wonderful to be connected to his best friend once more, to be joined, to be as one.

Toothless let out a soft roar of exaltation before he bounded into the forest, Hiccup riding expertly atop him, truly smiling for the first time in days.

…

Of course Stoick's first reaction upon finding his son's room empty that evening was to panic.

"Find him!" he bellowed to the Vikings congregated in front of his house. "Search everywhere! Bring my son home!"

The others nodded and dispersed. Stoick looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and it would be dark soon. How in Thor's name would they find him then? He hoped and prayed to every god he knew of that Toothless was with Hiccup. He at least had a better chance of surviving the night if the dragon was by his side.

"Chief!"

Stoick looked around to see Astrid running toward him. "What is it?" he asked.

She came to a stop in front of him. "I think I know where he might be."

The moment she said it, he knew too. Of course. The place Hiccup had always gone when he needed to be alone or think something over. The place where he'd first met and befriended Toothless.

The cove.

"Let's go!" he said, and they took off into the forest without another word, pausing just long enough for Stoick to motion to Gobber, silently ordering him to follow. The blacksmith obeyed without question and fell in behind the chief and the young Viking girl.

Darkness had all but descended by the time they reached the cove, but it was still light enough for Stoick to see the outlines of a boy and a dragon resting on the ledge that overlooked the beautiful little grotto. The chief breathed a huge sigh of relief before holding up a hand, requesting a moment alone with his son. Gobber and Astrid nodded and stood back as Stoick took a few cautious steps forward.

Toothless was the first to hear his approach and looked around. His green eyes, luminous in the near-darkness, narrowed warningly but he made no move to protect the human at his side. Stoick stepped closer and opened his mouth to speak, but Hiccup, not even glancing over his shoulder, beat him to the punch. "I have to admit, I'm impressed," he said lightly. "I figured it would be a while longer before you found me."

"Hiccup," Stoick sighed, stepping forward to sit beside his son, his hefty frame thudding rather heavily onto the ground. "Why did you—"

"I wasn't running away, and I wasn't planning on trying to kill myself again, if that's what you're worried about," Hiccup replied. "I just needed to be alone for a little while. This place is great for clearing my head, allowing me to think about everything that's happened over the past couple of months."

Stoick blinked. "Oh?" he said, his voice quavering slightly. "And…have you come to any conclusions?" He held his breath.

"I have, actually," Hiccup answered, nodding. He still hadn't looked over at his father, choosing instead to gaze down into the darkness of the cove below.

When he didn't elaborate, Stoick gently prodded, "And…?"

Hiccup sighed. "Well, I hope you understand that what you did, what all of you did, was really, really stupid," he said. His voice was calm and matter-of-fact, not a trace of anger coloring its tone. "You should have known better than to try that particular plan."

"Aye," Stoick agreed with a sigh. "You're right. It was stupid."

"Yes, it was," Hiccup said, nodding. There was a pause, and Stoick sensed he was gathering his thoughts. He stayed silent, waiting to hear what his son had decided.

Finally, he said, "I'm not the type to hold a grudge. I tend to prefer forgiving people, moving on and putting wrongs in the past. But this time…Dad, I don't think you fully understand what you did to me, even now."

"Of course I do, son," Stoick insisted.

"You hurt me," Hiccup continued, not acknowledging his father's words. "You tore me down and caused me more pain than I even thought was possible. You pushed me to the point that I thought suicide was my only option. This isn't something I can just put behind me and pretend it never happened. I will always remember…" He hesitated, subconsciously gripping his bandaged wrist with his left hand. "I will always remember what you've done to me, what you are capable of, what you drove me to do. As much as I'd love to I simply can't move on…

"Now I've done a lot of thinking about forgiveness. What it means to forgive. Simply put, to forgive means to stop feeling anger or resentment towards someone over a wrong. Sounds simple enough, but…it's easier said than done. But to forgive someone doesn't necessarily mean to forget it, to pretend it never happened. So…" He finally turned to look his father in the eye. "I've decided to forgive you, Dad. You and the village."

Stoick didn't know if he should jump for joy or dissolve into tears of remorse and relief, or maybe both. So he did neither. Instead, he reached out and hugged Hiccup. "Thank you, son. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet," Hiccup cautioned. "I haven't finished."

Stoick drew back, worried again.

"I forgive you, Dad. But I'm not going to forget what's happened. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I ever will. And now that I know you're capable of causing me so much pain, I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again. You or anyone else on Berk. I'm sorry, but—"

"Don't apologize," Stoick interrupted, squeezing Hiccup's shoulders. "I understand, son. I know it's going to take some time for things to return to normal. And I promise I will do everything in my power to win your trust back. I swear it on my life."

And for the first time in two months, Stoick saw Hiccup smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

Stoick pulled him into another hug. "I love you, Hiccup."

Hiccup reached up and returned the embrace. "I love you too, Dad," he murmured. "Please…please never hurt me like that again…"

"Never," Stoick swore. "Never again. I promise."

Toothless, who had observed all this in silence, looked around at the sound of more footsteps. Astrid and Gobber, apparently deciding to reveal themselves, came forward, both grinning in relief. Hiccup pulled back from Stoick in surprise. He didn't have to ask whether they'd heard his words: their expressions said it all.

"I promise too, Hiccup," Astrid said, kneeling down and taking his hand in hers.

"Aye, me too, lad," Gobber added.

Hiccup didn't speak. Indeed, he suddenly found himself incapable of articulating any sound at all. He merely grinned and nodded.

"You were right," Astrid said after a moment. "You were right about me. I was a coward. I didn't help you because I was afraid to. And I am so, so sorry, Hiccup." She hugged him.

"What, no punch for calling you a coward?" Hiccup asked weakly.

"Don't push your luck," Astrid replied, and Hiccup chuckled.

Stoick stood up. "Come on, son. Let's get you home. The others will be relieved to know you're safe, and I daresay they all want to know they're forgiven."

An hour later Hiccup found himself in the Great Hall, surrounded by Vikings with identical expressions of relief on their faces. He repeated what he'd said to Stoick, and everyone seemed grateful to be let off the hook so easily. Even when he warned them that he couldn't trust them, that they'd have to earn his trust back, their relief didn't diminish. Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut all came forward and stood beside him, and they took turns apologizing to him, promising they would work hard for his faith in them to be restored. (Well, Fishlegs and Snotlout promised. Ruff and Tuff started bickering about who had apologized first and never got around to saying anything more, but Hiccup appreciated it all the same.)

"That does leave a small problem, though," someone spoke up from the back of the hall. "Mogadon the Meathead will be here in a couple of days. What are we going to tell him? I assume we aren't going to pretend Snotlout is the hero anymore, right?"

There was a moment's silence as everyone considered the dilemma. Then Hiccup turned to Stoick and said, "May I make a suggestion, Dad?"

"By all means," Stoick replied, nodding.

"I say we tell Mogadon the truth," Hiccup replied, and then quickly went on when he saw his father was about to refuse, "Look, lying has never helped us before. I kept Toothless a secret from you and it backfired badly. We tried to keep Dagur from finding out about the dragons and when he learned we'd lied he became our fiercest enemy. I don't think lying or pretending is the answer, Dad. And besides…" He hesitated before admitting, "I can't go back to being Hiccup the Useless again. I just can't."

Stoick considered for a moment. "Hiccup, Thor knows I don't want to cause you any more pain. But…are you sure about this? You heard what I said about Mogadon. I want you to be safe."

"And I will be, Dad," Hiccup insisted. "Listen, I propose that we tell Mogadon the truth, every bit of it. I'm not the Dragon Conqueror, I'm a dragon trainer, one of several. If he knows that I'm not the only one who can do it, my novelty value decreases, doesn't it? And if he wants to, I can show him how to train dragons himself so that he won't have any use for me at all."

"Mogadon training dragons?" Stoick looked aghast. "Son…"

"Dad, half the Archipelago knows about the trained dragons by now," Hiccup pointed out. "Alvin and Dagur and Johann would have told others, I'm sure of it. And if Mogadon is going to learn how to train them, I'd rather he learn it our way instead of trying to beat them into submission like Alvin. Don't you see?" he added when Stoick still didn't look convinced. "It's the only solution, Dad. We show him that I'm not a unique, one-of-a-kind item and his interest in adding me to his collection will go away. We teach him to train dragons with kindness and trust and he'll have no use of the fabled Dragon Conqueror, plus he will hopefully treat dragons with the respect they deserve. Besides…" He reached over to scratch Toothless' chin. The dragon crooned happily. "…as long as Toothless is with me, I can defend myself in case something goes wrong."

"Toothless won't be the only one defending you," Astrid spoke up, stepping forward. "Mogadon will have to get through me if he wants to get to you."

"Me too!" Snotlout roared.

"Us too!" the twins chorused (and then promptly began arguing about who had spoken first. Everyone ignored their little scuffle.)

"And me," Fishlegs intoned.

The other villagers all started shouting too until the whole hall echoed with the sound of it. Stoick had a hard time regaining order, and when silence fell once more he sighed. "Well…I can't say I like this plan. But I trust you, Hiccup. Do what you can to placate Mogadon. And if he still wants you…" His eyes swept the room and remained a second or two on the portrait of him and his son hanging on the wall. He had put the painting that Hiccup liked back in its proper place immediately upon entering the hall that night and his son's face had lit up on seeing it again, but it did make the boy's small stature quite noticeable.

Stoick sighed again. Perhaps it was time to let his son make his own decisions.

"…he'll be in for the fight of his life."

Hiccup beamed up at him.

…

_Hiccup was afraid. _

_He was standing in the middle of the village square, surrounded on all sides by angry Vikings. He couldn't see a single smile in the midst of the crowd. _

_He looked around and suddenly became aware that Toothless wasn't beside him. He called for his dragon but got no response. _

"_You!" one of the Vikings barked at him, and he whirled around. "Get outta here, pest! Go somewhere you're wanted!" _

_Stung, Hiccup staggered backward, colliding with another Viking, who promptly shoved him aside. "Why are you always getting in the way?!" _

"_I…I…" He didn't know how to respond. _

_He saw Astrid in the crowd and reached for her, but her face was cold. "Why would I want to help you, Hiccup?" she asked scathingly. "You're useless to me. You're not a Viking. You're just a screw-up." _

_Hiccup felt his eyes watering and looked away, ashamed. He saw Snotlout, who was looking more pleased with himself than usual. "I am the Dragon Conqueror!" he shouted. "I am the Hero of Berk! And you? You are just a waste of space!" _

"_Why would anyone want you?" Hiccup spun around and saw Fishlegs staring at him, arms crossed. "You don't have anything to offer this village. Your existence is pointless." _

"_Leave here!" It was Ruffnut. "We don't want you." _

"_Why couldn't you have died?" Tuffnut demanded. "It would have been better for everyone." _

"_I…I tried," Hiccup stammered, his voice shaking. "I tried to…" _

"_Ha! The boy can't even kill himself properly!" Gobber laughed. "Hiccup the Useless, the only Viking who couldn't kill anything, not even himself!" _

_There were gales of laughter following this, and Hiccup looked at the ground, feeling his cheeks redden, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. _

"_Finish it." _

_A dagger landed at his feet, and he looked up. Stoick was standing before him, his expression dark, hands on his hips. "End it. Put us all out of our misery." _

_Hiccup stared up at him and tried to repress a sob. Slowly, he reached down and picked up the knife, pressing the blade to his wrist. He slashed and blood spurted upward, but a second later the wound resealed itself. Confused and panicking at the agitated mutterings of the people around him, he cut again, but the same thing happened. It bled for two seconds and then stopped as the skin healed. _

"_Can't even slash your own wrist," Stoick growled. "You really are useless." _

"_I'm trying!" Hiccup cried, his voice breaking. "I'm trying! I've always tried to please you! Always! I'm trying!" _

"_Take him!" Stoick roared, and Hiccup was suddenly lifted bodily into the air, held in the arms of four powerful Vikings. He squirmed and kicked but couldn't get free. "No! Please!" he yelled. "Let me go!" _

"_Take him to the cliffs!" Stoick bellowed. "We will rid ourselves of this nuisance once and for all!" _

_Hiccup was carried to the cliffs, the whole village following behind. All his attempts to free himself were futile. "Please, don't do this!" he cried as his captors came to a stop. "Please! I'll do anything!" _

"_Vikings don't beg," Stoick scolded, his face mere inches from Hiccup's. "Vikings don't act the way you do. You're not a Viking. You're not my son." _

_Hiccup felt his heart break but couldn't focus on that. He was far more concerned about the ocean churning a hundred feet below. He was raised into the air…_

"_TOOTHLESS!" he screamed. _

…_and hurled into empty space, plunging down, down, down…_

"_No! No please, please, NOOOO!" _

"Hiccup! Hiccup wake up! Wake up! HICCUP!"

Two strong hands were holding his arms and he fought against them. "Let me go! Let me go! Don't…no…please…!"

"Hiccup!" Stoick's face swam into view, his eyes wide and frightened, not cold or angry. "Come back to me, son! I'm here! It was just a dream! You're safe!"

Hiccup stopped fighting and looked around wildly, taking deep, shuddering breaths. He was sitting up in bed, safe and sound in his bedroom. His father was crouching beside him, and on his opposite side Toothless warbled in fear.

Hiccup relaxed and slumped forward, seizing his father's tunic in his fists and clutching it close, burying his face in Stoick's beard. He started crying, hating himself for it but unable to stop, his shoulders shaking and heaving with heavy sobs. Stoick pulled him close and held him, rocking gently back and forth and shushing him quietly. "You're all right, son. You're safe. I'm here, and so is Toothless. Nothing bad can happen to you. It was just a dream. It wasn't real."

Hiccup gulped and glanced down at his wrist. "Real enough," he mumbled.

Stoick might have understood what he meant, for he sighed and held Hiccup tighter. "I know. I know." He pulled away. "I'll be right back, okay?" Hiccup nodded, and he stood up and left.

Toothless crooned, and Hiccup looked over at his friend. "I'm fine, bud," he said, but his shaky voice did nothing to convince the dragon. Hel, he couldn't even convince himself.

Stoick returned a few minutes later, carrying a mug. Handing it to Hiccup, he said, "Here, drink this. It will help."

Hiccup took a sip and nearly choked. It was mead mixed with honey. The sweetness was almost overpowering, but he drank it all. Giving the mug back to Stoick, he felt drowsiness cloud his brain. "Better?" his father asked, his voice rather fuzzy.

Hiccup nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and slumped back onto his bed. Smiling slightly, Stoick rested his hand on his son's forehead for a moment. "Rest easy, my boy," he murmured, and then he turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.

Toothless rumbled, and Hiccup opened his eyes blearily. "Bud…stay with me?" he asked thickly. In answer, the dragon rested his head on his human's stomach. Hiccup smiled and closed his eyes again. "Thanks," he sighed before sleep scooped him away again. He didn't dream again for the rest of the night.

…

Mogadon the Meathead arrived two days later, and his visit went exactly as Hiccup predicted it would. Though initially baffled by the skinniness of the so-called Dragon Conqueror, he listened with rapt attention as Hiccup explained his story, and he was eager to learn when the boy and his friends offered to teach him to train dragons himself. The Meathead chief was a quick study. He picked up on the concept of trusting dragons much faster than Stoick had, and by the third day of his visit he was riding a Monstrous Nightmare, whooping in glee the whole time.

He stayed a week and departed after renewing the peace treaty his clan shared with Berk. He thanked Hiccup fervently for his training and promised to share his knowledge and methods with his tribe. He made no move to kidnap or threaten the boy in any way, and Hiccup was actually a little sorry to see him go.

There was a celebration in the Great Hall that evening, and Hiccup found himself once again the center of attention. He smiled when his father told him how proud he was of him and laughed and joked with the others, but before long he found himself wishing it would all be over so that he could be alone with Toothless. He hadn't had much time to spend with his dragon during Mogadon's visit and really missed his friend's company.

As the sun was sinking into the sea, he managed to slip away from the hall. With Toothless by his side, he returned home and pulled out his flying gear from the shed next to his house. He saddled the dragon in record time and was just about to jump onto his back when a voice made him look around.

"I believe you owe me a night flight," Astrid said lightly, leaning casually against the shed wall, grinning.

Hiccup blinked once in confusion. Then he remembered the ruined date he had planned before everything suddenly changed. He grinned. "I believe you're right." He climbed into the saddle and held out his hand. Astrid took it and settled behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Let's go, bud," Hiccup said to Toothless.

The dragon needed no further persuasion and launched himself into the air. For a few minutes, Hiccup amused them all by asking Toothless to perform all manner of aerial stunts: dives, upward spirals, barrel rolls, and loops. The delighted grin never left his face, and by her cries of laughter he could tell Astrid was enjoying herself too.

He finally had Toothless level off, and they soared over the village in companionable silence.

At least until Astrid sighed and tightened her hold on his waist, resting her head on his shoulder in an unmistakably romantic move. Hiccup felt his heart clench. "Uh, Astrid…I…I don't…"

"What is it?" Astrid asked, raising her head. She could sense some kind of battle going on between Hiccup's head and heart and was both confused and concerned.

Hiccup hesitated. "I…don't think I'm ready to go back to being…you know…a couple. Not yet. I'm still wounded and need some time to recover before we can go back to being as we were before…all that…"

Astrid didn't say anything. The sudden ache in her chest prevented her from speaking a single word.

"We can still be friends," Hiccup continued hopefully. "And maybe someday we'll be able to pick up where we left off. But for now I think it's best we just be friends. For the time being."

Astrid swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "I understand, Hiccup," she said softly, and he could tell she wasn't angry or hurt, just resigned and accepting. She knew she'd caused this. She had no one to blame but herself. Then she grinned. "But I'm going to fight to win you back. Just so you know."

Hiccup smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**A/N: Phew! That turned out much longer than I thought it would. Hope you enjoyed it! **

**I said it at the beginning but I'll say it again: this story is loosely based on/inspired by "The Real Hero" by SnowFlower Frost. I have their permission to use their story as inspiration. To read "The Real Hero," go to my Favorites list. **


	7. On My Own

On My Own

**A/N: First of all, to Guest reviewer, I hadn't considered doing a sequel or follow-up to "Hiccup the Useless," but now that you've mentioned it, I have to admit I'm intrigued. Who knows? Maybe I will continue that story arc someday. Thanks for your input! **

**Now as for this story: this is something a little different. Basically, I'm turning HTTYD into a musical. Yeah. I don't know, I was listening to **_**Les Misérables **_**and thought that "On My Own" was a great song for pre-movie Hiccup to sing. So here it is. Hope you enjoy it. **

"**On My Own" from **_**Les Misérables **_**© Music Theater International**

The charcoal pencil fell slack in Hiccup's grip when he heard Snotlout approaching.

He hated himself for the fear that bubbled up suddenly in his gut. It was the same reaction he had whenever his bullying cousin showed up. The sound of his voice was enough to set his nerves on edge. It had been so ever since they were kids and it became clear that Hiccup just wasn't going to be a big, burly Viking, and Snotlout had taken it upon himself to remind him of that every chance he got.

Now, Hiccup looked around at the sound of his cousin's loud, boisterous voice, and he wished he'd picked a slightly less secluded area to sketch. There was no one around to defend him. Snotlout could do whatever he wanted and no one would stop him.

"Hello, Hiccup," Snotlout drawled. "What are you doing all the way out here all by yourself?"

Hiccup heard someone snigger, and his heart dropped another notch. Great. He'd brought along Tuffnut. Which meant his twin Ruffnut was probably there too. An audience to his misery. Just what he needed.

Hiccup turned his head and met his cousin's eyes. Snotlout, big, beefy, and every bit the Viking Hiccup wished he could be, stood with his arms crossed, strategically blocking the path back to the village. Behind him, as he'd feared, the twins watched the brewing confrontation with anticipatory glee. Beside them, to Hiccup's mild surprise, was Fishlegs. The stout boy had never been cruel to Hiccup. Indeed, they had once been best of friends, but time and Hiccup's plummeting popularity in the village had forced the two apart. Now Fishlegs tended to ignore him, never taking part in the bullying but never trying to stop it either.

Hiccup's eyes flitted back to Snotlout as the bigger boy stepped forward. "What's that?" He pointed at Hiccup's sketchbook, which Hiccup promptly snapped shut and clutched protectively close to him. He realized a second too late that this was a mistake, as Snotlout's grin widened and his eyes took on that glint Hiccup always associated with pain. "Ooh, have you been drawing again?" he asked, taking another step forward. "Well come on, Hiccup. Let us take a look."

Hiccup shook his head and tried to step away, but his back met a tree at the edge of the forest. He knew running was out of the question: they'd catch up to him without any trouble and then he'd really be in for it. But he refused to simply hand over his sketchbook. There were some personal things in there. Designs for inventions he wanted to build, mindless doodles and scribbles, drawings of the village and the people in it…he definitely didn't want Snotlout to get his hands on it.

Not that he was going to be able to prevent it. Snotlout lunged forward and tackled Hiccup to the ground, and a moment later the sketchbook was held aloft in his massive hand. "No!" Hiccup gasped, reaching up but unable to take what was his. "Give it back, Snotlout!"

Snotlout ignored him and flipped the book open at random. He frowned. "What in Odin's name is this?" he cried, and then he started to laugh. "Oh Hiccup, all your attempts to help us out…it's really quite touching. But you'd help us out the most if you'd just stop trying."

Must have been a design for some weapon, Hiccup figured. That was okay. He'd dealt with the disdain of the village over his unique way of conquering problems like the dragon raids. At least it hadn't been…

Snotlout flipped a page, and his eyes went wide. The twins let out a loud, "Oooh," and Fishlegs blinked in surprise, looking impressed in spite of himself.

Oh gods. This couldn't be good.

Snotlout laughed again and looked over his shoulder. "Hey Astrid!" he called. "Haddock's been drawing you!"

Oh Thor. Oh Odin. Not her. Why did it have to be that page?

Hiccup turned bright red and wished more than anything he could disappear into the earth. A short distance away, Astrid glanced around, looking slightly irritated, and started heading in their direction. Hiccup made a desperate grab for the sketchbook but Snotlout's foot came down and shoved him back to the muddy ground.

"Look at this!" Snotlout crowed as Astrid reached them, showing her the page he'd turned to. "Look at what Useless does when you're not looking!"

Hiccup glanced up in spite of himself. Astrid's face was impassive, though he rather thought her eyes widened at the sight of the sketch he'd done. He'd tried to capture the grace and elegance of her movements when she was training with her axe and he'd done a pretty good job, if he may say so himself. But now that Astrid was looking at it – no, make that _studying _it – he wished he'd never tried.

Astrid continued to gaze at the sketch for a moment in…what? Was it too much for Hiccup to hope that she was actually impressed? Then her usual scowl returned and she shrugged as if she couldn't care less. "Whatever," she said dismissively, although she did shoot Hiccup a look that he couldn't quite interpret. She didn't seem to be angry, but her eyes seemed to be analyzing him, as if she'd never seen him before in her life.

Snotlout, apparently disappointed that she wasn't beating Hiccup within an inch of his life, said, "You should see some of the other stuff he's drawn. Like this." He turned the page. "What in the name of Thor is that supposed to be?"

He held the book out, and Hiccup was able to read the heading he'd written at the top of the paper: "The Mangler." His newest invention. He hoped it would shoot dragons right out of the sky. Of course, the calibration would be a problem, but he figured with enough patience…

Snotlout and the twins' laughter brought Hiccup out of his wandering thoughts, and blushing furiously he tried again to grab his sketchbook. Snotlout countered him easily, his foot still pressed into his cousin's chest.

"Give it back, Snotlout," Astrid snapped. "It's not funny."

Hiccup blinked and stared up at her. Did…did Astrid just defend him?

Snotlout seemed equally surprised, but after a moment he shrugged and said, "Whatever." He tossed the book into the air and – _splat! _– it landed in a puddle of mud a few inches away from Hiccup. He reached for it and tried to wipe the moisture from the pages before they were ruined, but he could tell that some of his drawings were beyond saving. His heart sank.

Astrid punched Snotlout's arm. "I said give it to him, not toss it in the mud!" she barked over the boy's yelp of pain.

"Gods!" Snotlout whined, rubbing his aching bicep. "No need to be so testy!"

He walked away, and Fishlegs and the twins followed him, leaving Hiccup alone with Astrid. There was an awkward silence as Hiccup continued trying to salvage his work, determinedly not looking up at the girl he had loved for as long as he could remember. He could feel her gaze on him like a heat on the back of his neck, and he felt his cheeks redden again.

"Uh…" he finally stammered. "Thanks, Astrid. For, um…standing up for me…"

He chanced a glance up at her. She was looking coldly down at him, her arms crossed. For a moment she didn't say anything at all. Hiccup wondered if she was about to tear into him for sketching her while she wasn't looking and tried to mentally prepare himself for pain.

Then she said, "Don't count on it happening again." And without another word, without so much as a backward glance, she turned and headed toward the village.

Hiccup clambered to his feet, damp sketchbook still clutched in his hand, and watched her depart. He didn't move for several minutes. He supposed he should have felt relieved that she had let him off so easily, but he couldn't help but feel a little stung by her parting words.

Was it really too much to ask that she just acknowledge him? Why did she always go about pretending he didn't exist? Like he wasn't worth her time? Admittedly he wasn't exactly strong or imposing like the other boys his age, but did that really make him inferior? Did he really deserve to be looked down on with such disdain?

_Don't count on it happening again_. He repeated her words in his head as around him the sky darkened. The sun was setting, and gray storm clouds were rolling in. _Don't count on it happening again. Don't count on me coming to your rescue next time. You're simply not worth the effort. _

Now he almost wished she _had _hit him for sketching her. At least that would have been a sign she knew he existed.

He sighed and turned away from the village, heading into the forest. He followed a path he knew well: it led up a small hill and emerged onto a cliff that overlooked the village below. From up here he could see the river that snaked its way through the trees and ended in a waterfall that fed the ocean lapping at Berk's shores. Up here, where no one could hurt him with their taunts, their disappointed scowls, or their fists, he felt truly free. He didn't care that darkness was setting in and that a light rain had begun to fall. This was his safe place.

Shaded slightly by a nearby tree, he opened his sketchbook to a page that hadn't been stained with mud. There was a poem written there, a poem he'd penned a month or two ago when he was feeling particularly lonesome and wishing more than ever that someone – particularly Astrid – would finally realize that he wasn't just a waste of space. He'd long given up that anyone else would see him as anything more than that: his own father, for Thor's sake, couldn't even look him in the eye for long. Astrid had been his last hope, the last person that he thought might, just might, be able to see him for who he was and appreciate it.

But now…

He sighed and, after a moment, he began to sing his poem to a tune he'd heard Gobber play on his panpipes numerous times. He'd found that singing was a great way to relieve his tension, even though it wasn't something he did often and certainly never when there was anyone around who could hear him. Odin knew he suffered enough already without the others knowing about that particular habit. His voice, soft and melodic, rang out clearly in the silent evening, quiet enough that it didn't reach the village yet loud enough to carry all the emotions that fueled it.

"_And now I'm all alone again_

_Nowhere to turn, no one to go to_

_Without a mom, without a friend_

_Without a face to say hello to_

_And now the night is near_

_Now I can make believe she's here_"

He looked down at the village below. Astrid was down there somewhere, probably seated in the Great Hall with the others having dinner. Or perhaps the evening meal was done and she was home, getting ready for bed.

"_Sometimes I walk alone at night _

_When everybody else is sleeping_

_I think of her and then I'm happy_

_With the company I'm keeping_

_The village goes to bed_

_And I can live inside my head_"

He paused, the melody in his head slowing down a bit. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. The rain had let up a little but he still stuck close to the tree for shelter. He closed his eyes and let his imagination wander as he continued singing.

"_On my own_

_Pretending she's beside me_

_All alone_

_I walk with her till morning _

_Without her_

_I feel her arms around me_

_And when I lose my way I close my eyes_

_And she has found me_"

He opened his eyes and looked again down at the village. The view was rather beautiful. The wet roofs of the houses below were shining in the dim light provided by the moon peeking out from between the clouds. The river reflected the stars twinkling from behind the treetops all around him. He smiled: it looked just as it had when he'd come here to compose this poem. _How fitting_, he thought as he sang the next verse:

"_In the rain_

_The buildings shine like silver_

_All the lights _

_Are misty in the river_

_In the darkness _

_The trees are full of starlight_

_And all I see is her and me_

_Forever and forever_"

His smile faded and he lowered his arms slowly.

"_And I know it's only in my mind_

_That I'm talking to myself and not to her_

_And although I know that she is blind_

_Still I say there's a way for us_"

He took a deep, shaky breath, and when he continued his song his voice trembled slightly. And try as he might he couldn't steady it.

"_I love her_

_But when the night is over_

_She is gone_

_The river's just a river_

_Without her_

_The world around me changes_

_The trees are bare and everywhere_

_The town is full of strangers_"

The bitter truth of his words stung, and he wiped his eyes on his sleeves, determined to stop the flow of tears before they started. He kept on singing, his voice getting slightly louder as he neared the climax of the song.

"_I love her_

_But every day I'm learning_

_All my life_

_I've only been pretending_

_Without me_

_Her world will go on turning_

_A world that's full of happiness_

_That I have never known_"

His voice broke and he stopped singing abruptly. He stood motionless for several moments, taking deep breaths to steady himself. When he resumed his song, his voice was much quieter and was so tremulous that it sounded like he was speaking instead of singing.

"_I love her_"

He swallowed the lump in his throat and repeated himself, though his voice still shook:

"_I love her_"

He repeated the phrase one more time, and it finally sounded like a song again, just in time for him to sing the last line, holding the last note as long as he could.

"_I love her_

_But only on my own_"

Hiccup closed his sketchbook and tucked it into the inner pocket of his fur vest, his eyes never leaving the sight of the village below. How contented they all were down there, busying themselves with their daily lives, never knowing that a boy in their midst was silently suffering…

He sighed and turned away, walking slowly back down the path toward town. He did actually feel a little better now that he'd given himself some release, though his heart still hurt and his cheeks still flushed when he thought about the embarrassment he'd been put through that day. Still, it could have been worse, and tomorrow was another day.

When he reached the village, he hesitated. He knew he should go home, but that was the last place he wanted to be at the moment. Besides, it wasn't like his father really cared what time his son returned. Stoick hardly ever spoke to Hiccup these days unless it was to reprimand him, so he may not even know that he was out and about.

Nodding resolutely, Hiccup turned toward the forge, figuring he'd use his free time to build something. Maybe he'd get started on that Mangler he'd designed. If it worked, if it actually shot down a dragon, then maybe someone would finally see him as more than a screw-up…


	8. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

**A/N: Yep. Another Hiccup-sings-a-song story. This one's "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from **_**The Phantom of the Opera. **_**Enjoy! **

"**Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from **_**The Phantom of the Opera**_** © The Really Useful Group**

**Also! Spoilers for HTTYD2. Just a heads-up. **

The sun had not yet risen on the Isle of Berk when the front door of the chief's house swung silently open. "I'll be back by nightfall," Hiccup said as he emerged, looking back over his shoulder. "I promise."

He kissed his young wife Astrid, a brief yet passionate gesture that carried an eternity's worth of wordless emotions. She kissed him back but was unable to smile at him when he drew away. Her husband worried her whenever he went back to the old nest. It had been three years since his father Stoick the Vast had been killed there, yet Hiccup returned to the place every year on the anniversary of the battle. The Battle of the Bewilderbeasts, as it had become known.

Hiccup hadn't changed much over those three years. He still had a great deal of youthful exuberance and energy and on most days he could be found smiling and even laughing as he went about his chiefly duties. It was only when the anniversary rolled around that he became sullen and withdrawn, always culminating in his annual visit to the place where it all happened. Then he'd be miserable for a couple of days afterward before slowly returning to his normal cheery self. Astrid hated those days of mourning. It was like Hiccup wasn't even there, as if a total stranger had taken his place. She worried for him but never said anything. What good would it have done anyway?

So as her husband climbed atop Toothless' back, giving the dragon a soft pat on the head, she merely said, "Be safe." He nodded and without another word they took off, the Night Fury's gigantic wings blowing the stray hairs from her face as they ascended, disappearing into the early morning darkness.

Hiccup was silent for the duration of the two-hour flight to the old nest. The sun peeked above the horizon, throwing golden-pink light across the ocean, but Hiccup didn't even look to admire the beauty of it all. Toothless, sensing his rider's distress, crooned worriedly once or twice, but he was far too used to his human's dour moods this time of year to really try lifting his spirits. He knew there was nothing he could do to help, and that greatly upset him. It didn't help that Toothless still felt a little guilty for what had happened. Hiccup had told him over and over that he didn't blame him, that it was Drago and his Bewilderbeast that had killed his father, but the shame still niggled in the back of Toothless' mind even now. And it became a thousand times worse whenever his human sank into this state of melancholy every year…

Toothless' thoughts came to a sudden halt when he felt Hiccup adjust the prosthetic tailfin, preparing to land. They had reached the nest. It had been deserted after the battle, the dragons fleeing the island the moment their Alpha had been killed. The skeleton of the fallen Bewilderbeast still lay at the base of the mountain, a silent monument to the battle and all those who had fallen, be they human or dragon. But Hiccup didn't even look at the gigantic pile of bones. Instead he turned toward a spot some hundred yards off, where a large stone had been erected. He remembered putting it there himself only a month or two after Stoick's death. As they had burned the body, there had been nothing to bury, no grave to mark, but Hiccup had placed the stone there anyway, right on the spot where he'd taken Toothless' plasma blast to protect his son. "A chief protects his own," he'd said, and he'd died doing just that.

Hiccup felt his throat tighten but he swung himself down from the saddle, resolutely walking toward the marker, Toothless following a respectful distance behind him.

And as he walked, he began to sing. The melody was one he'd heard before, one that his mother Valka hummed whenever she was feeling upset. The words were his own, flowing from his heart and soul. His voice started soft and tremulous but he didn't falter.

"_You were once my one companion_

_You were all that mattered_

_You were once a friend and father_

_Then my world was shattered_"

His voice got a little stronger as he approached the gravestone. He read the name he'd carved into the rock's barren face and felt the familiar pang in his heart he always felt whenever he heard someone mention his father. What he wouldn't give for Stoick to be there again, to be standing beside him, a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, gentle voice offering words of comfort and wisdom…

"_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Wishing you were somehow near_

_Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed_

_Somehow you would be here_

_Wishing I could hear your voice again_

_Knowing that I never would_

_Dreaming of you won't help me to do_

_All that you dreamed I could_"

Reaching the grave, he sank to his knees, bowing his head as a tear trickled from his eye.

"_Three long years, I knelt in silence_

_Held your mem'ry near me_

_Three long years of murmured sorrows_

_Willing you to hear me_"

He stopped singing for a moment, his throat suddenly too tight to continue. He stood up and turned abruptly away from the stone, his shoulders shaking. No more. He couldn't do this anymore. The endless mourning, the useless wishing, the hours of sadness and regret…it was too much. How was he supposed to get on with his life if he was constantly living in the past? How could he be a good chief to his people if he kept thinking about his father and yearning for him to somehow return?

"_Too many years fighting back tears_

_Why can't the past just die?_"

He turned back to the grave and squared his shoulders. As he continued singing, he felt that this was what his father would have wanted. Stoick wouldn't have wanted his son to continue grieving like this. He'd have told him to put the past behind him and focus on what lay ahead.

"_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Knowing we must say good-bye_

_Try to forgive, teach me to live_

_Give me the strength to try_

_No more memories, no more silent tears_

_No more gazing across the empty years_"

His voice softened as he reached up and traced his father's name carved into the rock. His heart clenched but he knew that this was what had to be done. He had to do it. He had to move on. So he sang so quietly that it might have been a whisper:

"_Help me say good-bye_"

He drew a deep breath and repeated the line, louder, raising the pitch of his voice and holding the last note as long as he could:

"_Help me say good-bye_"

Silence fell. Toothless watched with his head tilted in confusion and concern over the whirlwind of emotions he could sense coming from his human. Hiccup didn't move for a while, resting his hand on the stone in front of him. He allowed himself a small smile but didn't speak. There was nothing to be said that hadn't already been spoken. It was time to look to the future instead of dwelling on what had been or what might have been. Stoick would have wanted that.

Nodding once, Hiccup turned away from the stone. Toothless warbled, surprised to see a smile on his friend's face. "Come on, bud," he said softly, scratching the dragon's chin fondly. "Let's get back to Berk."

Toothless blinked in confusion but allowed his rider to mount him once more. He wasn't sure why the young man was suddenly feeling…well, "happy" wasn't the right word, but more at ease, but he wasn't going to question it. He was just glad that Hiccup didn't seem to be spiraling downward into his annual depression this time. So he spread his wings and took off without hesitation, turning in the direction of Berk, flying into the rising sun. Hiccup encouraged him with quiet words, and he smiled almost nonstop. Seated atop his dragon, the wind blowing through his hair, he felt all the sadness and grief fall away like the nest below.

He didn't glance back once all the way home.

**A/N: Fun fact – the second verse is actually an alternate version for the existing song. I didn't write those lyrics. **

**Also, a look at my upcoming ****projects**:

_**Out of the Sea**_**: Merman prince Hiccup Haddock yearns to learn about the human world, and when he saves the Viking Astrid Hofferson from drowning he decides he'll stop at nothing to win her heart...even if it means selling his voice to the Sea Witch Excellinor, who is plotting to overthrow his father and take over the sea. Basically Disney's**_**The Little Mermaid**___**with the HTTYD characters.**

_**Titanic**_**: Wealthy young Hinrik Haddock should be excited to be sailing aboard the grandest ship afloat, but his upcoming marriage to a woman he hates has him feeling trapped and miserable. That is, until he meets steerage passenger Astrid Hofferson and the two form a fast friendship. But just as Hinrik is sure he's fallen in love with the fiery young woman, the**_**Titanic**___**collides with an iceberg and starts to sink, and their leisurely voyage turns into a fight for survival.**


	9. Strong

Strong

**A/N: Because I apparently take sick pleasure in putting Hiccup in emotional pain. **

**This story will contain spoilers for **_**How to Train Your Dragon 2**_**. Read no further if you haven't seen this movie. **

In the weeks that followed his ascension to the chiefhood, Hiccup Haddock gained a great deal of respect for his late father Stoick the Vast. Of course he'd always respected his father. He'd known the man had to deal with issues that tried his patience and physical limitations every day. But it wasn't until he was facing them himself that he truly understood just how much it drained a person to almost single-handedly run an entire village. The ice blocks he'd so often seen pressed to Stoick's forehead became his best friends.

It was two months after his father's death. Hiccup was sitting at a table in his house, poring over some papers and trying to figure out how to solve yet another dispute. According to Hoark, he'd purchased some boar meat from Magnus the butcher and paid in full, but according to Magnus the payment had been partial and he was still owed the rest. Of course neither man kept good records, so it was a matter of one man's word against the other's. Hiccup was going through some notes his father had compiled over the years, hoping to find some kind of precedent he could fall back on, but he hadn't found anything so far. He grumbled as he rummaged around the mess of scrolls and notebooks piled all over the desk. There was a dull, throbbing ache in his temple that was becoming hard to ignore.

After a while he groaned aloud and put his head in his hands. "Gods, how did Dad do this?" he mumbled.

Something nudged him and he gave a start, looking around. His face broke into a sad smile. "Hey bud," he sighed, reaching out to stroke Toothless' head. The dragon crooned worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine," Hiccup said. "Just…tired, that's all."

Toothless warbled. He could tell his human wasn't just tired. There was something else wrong, but he didn't know what. And if he didn't know what was wrong, how was he supposed to help?

Then he brightened. He knew one way to cheer his human up. It was the only thing that always worked without fail. They had to go flying. He bounded around Hiccup's chair, roaring and letting his tongue loll from his gummy mouth. Hiccup watched him with an amused arch in his eyebrows, but to Toothless' amazement he said, "Sorry, bud. Can't fly right now. Too much work to do."

Toothless visibly deflated. No flying? But then how was he supposed to cheer his poor human up?

The door suddenly opened and a figure walked in. Toothless brightened immediately. He recognized the person's scent. It was that female that his human was so fond of. She had an uncanny ability to make him feel better.

But when Hiccup looked up to greet Astrid, his smile slipped, and Toothless felt any joy he had been feeling disappear on the spot. This confused the dragon, who rumbled concernedly, but Hiccup didn't look at him. He was gazing up at Astrid, who said without preamble, "Hiccup, we need your help. There's a situation down at the dragon stables."

Hiccup sighed. "What kind of situation?"

"Let's just say that the twins were experimenting with Barf and Belch's diet and now there are bits of half-digested yak meat all over the place," Astrid replied. "The other dragons are riled up and we could really use your expertise."

Hiccup huffed and turned away, resting his elbows on the table and putting his head in his hands. "Great. Just perfect. Add it to the list of things I have to do," he grumbled.

Astrid blinked in surprise. She couldn't remember ever hearing Hiccup complain about his duties as chief before. She stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her, and came up to stand beside her boyfriend. "Hiccup? Are you all right?"

"Of course I am," Hiccup snapped.

"Sure doesn't sound like it," Astrid observed, crossing her arms. "What's on your mind?"

Hiccup shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Astrid sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly but didn't say anything. "Hiccup, I can tell you're not fine. Give me some credit. Come on. You know you can talk to me, right?"

Hiccup groaned and banged his head on the table. Far from making him feel better, this only intensified his headache. Astrid raised her eyebrows but didn't comment, waiting for Hiccup to finally open up to her.

"I'm just really tired, Astrid," he finally mumbled. "I haven't been sleeping well."

Astrid frowned. She could tell this wasn't the complete truth. But then her face cleared and her expression softened. She sighed and said, "I know you miss him, Hiccup. We all do."

Hiccup sat up and turned to stare at her. Astrid was startled by the sudden anger she could see in his emerald eyes. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice low.

"I…I said…" Astrid stammered, "I said that I know you miss your father. Everyone does. I understand how you feel—"

"Don't you dare," Hiccup snarled, leaping to his feet. Astrid staggered backward in alarm. "Don't you dare complete that thought! You don't know! You don't understand! No one does! And I wish you all would stop pretending you did! You haven't the slightest comprehension of what I'm going through right now!"

Astrid gaped at him. Hiccup had never spoken to her like this before. He was always so calm, so soft-spoken, the last person to lose his temper. It was what made him a great chief. But this man…this man before her was a stranger. His face was contorted in an expression of pain and fury, the fire in the center of the room throwing the harsh lines into sharp relief. For a moment, he actually scared her.

"Everyone keeps telling me that they're so sorry for my loss, that they understand what I'm going through, that they know how hard this must be, and not a single damn one of them gets it!" Hiccup was shouting now. Toothless whined and slunk into a corner. "And then they all turn around and expect me to just bend over backward for them, settling their petty disputes and solving every single little problem that pops up because gods forbid they figure it out on their own! Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten a good night's sleep, Astrid?! Do you?"

"N-no," Astrid replied shakily.

"It's been a month!" Hiccup yelled. "I've been running myself ragged for weeks on end with minimal sleep! I haven't flown with Toothless for the past four days! I don't even remember the last meal I ate! And yet you have the gall to tell me that you understand how I feel?!" He shook his head. "You haven't the slightest idea, Astrid. None of you do." He turned away from her, staring off into space, his shoulders heaving with each breath.

Astrid just stared, too stunned to say a word. She glanced down at Toothless, who looked just as bewildered as she felt.

"Do you know what Sven said to me yesterday?" Hiccup said, his voice quieter but no less harsh. "He told me what a great job I was doing at keeping myself together." He turned back toward Astrid, and she was shocked to see a wet gleam in his eyes. "He thinks I'm so strong. They all do. The whole village. Everyone expects me to be this pillar of strength, to stand straight and tall and show no emotion, to see to my duties and think of nothing else. And while I'm busy being a chiefly statue, they all get to mourn. They all get to be sad and to cry and to grieve the passing of their chief." His voice was starting to shake but he kept talking, apparently determined not to cry. "How is that fair, Astrid? Why do you all get to mourn him while I have to be strong and keep it together and go about my duties with my head high and a smile on my face? Why…why can't I…"

He faltered for a moment. Astrid saw his throat constrict, but just when she thought he couldn't possibly say anything more, he continued, "You say you know how I feel. You don't. No one does. Because Stoick wasn't just my chief, Astrid. _He was my dad._"

That was it. He couldn't hold it back anymore. The moment the last word cleared his lips, he gasped and choked and dissolved into tears. He tried to sit back down in his chair but misjudged its location and ended up with his rump on the floor. He didn't bother trying to stand again. He buried his face in his hands and just cried, cried like he hadn't in years. Huge, heaving sobs wracked his body. His shoulders shook and great wails and moans escaped his lips. In some vague corner of his mind he felt shame creeping in but he just didn't have the energy to fight it anymore.

Astrid watched Hiccup fall apart mutely for a second or two. Then the feeling returned to her legs and she stepped forward, kneeling down beside him and enfolding him in her arms. He gasped and looked up at her, but she stopped any words he might have considered speaking. "Let it out, Hiccup," she said softly. "It's okay. Just let it out. Let it all go."

Hiccup didn't need to be told twice. He buried his face in her chest and sobbed uncontrollably. She held him and rocked him and ran her hand through his hair. She didn't say anything apart from the occasional "It's all right," or "Let it out, Hiccup, just let it out." And let it out Hiccup did. For fifteen solid minutes he just cried, finally releasing two months' worth of pent-up grief, rage, and stress.

At last Hiccup's sobs subsided into small gasps and hiccups. He sniffled and mumbled, "I'm…sorry, Astrid."

"No, don't apologize," Astrid said. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Hiccup."

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," Hiccup insisted. "You didn't deserve—"

"Hush," Astrid chided gently, and Hiccup hushed. He nestled slightly in her arms and silence fell between them for a while.

At length, Astrid said, "You are strong, Hiccup, you know that? You're probably the strongest man I know. But…" She pulled back and gently lifted Hiccup's head so that their eyes met. "…you don't always have to be. It's okay to call on others for your strength." She smiled. "I'm always here, Hiccup. If you ever need anything, someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you. So is your mom. And so is Toothless." The dragon crooned at the sound of his name, and Hiccup chuckled weakly. "You're not alone, Hiccup. You never have been. Don't forget that, okay?"

She kissed him on the cheek, tasting the saltiness of his tears. He grinned and nodded. "Thanks, Astrid," he murmured. Then he pulled her into a hug and added, "I love you."

Astrid smiled into his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he'd told her that, but they were words they didn't say often and she cherished them. She hugged him back and replied, "I love you too."

After a moment she drew back and stood up. "Get some rest," she suggested. "I'll go tell the twins to clean up their own mess. As for the other dragons, I'm sure we can handle it. Don't worry about it, all right?"

Hiccup nodded and stood up, wavering slightly. Apparently satisfied that his human was done yelling and crying, Toothless walked forward and nudged him gently. Grinning, Hiccup rested his hand on the dragon's head. Then, without a word, he turned and headed up the stairs, collapsing fully-clothed onto his bed. He was asleep in moments, and when he awoke hours later he felt more rested than he had in a very long time.


	10. The Bjornson House

The Bjornson House

**A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this one. Hope you enjoy it! **

Looking back on it, Hiccup would never be able to honestly say he hadn't seen it coming. He'd been at least half-expecting this dare to come up ever since the dragons were integrated into their daily lives and the Vikings had started commending Hiccup for his courage and bravery. Yet even with that, it still caught him off guard.

He and Toothless had been demonstrating their newest stunt: the Night Fury dove like a falling stone toward the water and then, at the last possible second, bucked his rider off. As Toothless hit the water with a splash, Hiccup found himself rising skyward. There came a moment where gravity overpowered his momentum, and he hovered motionlessly in midair for a second or two before plunging down toward the sea.

In ordinary circumstances, this kind of scenario would have terrified him. But he merely smiled and held his arms out, waiting for the rescue he knew was coming. Sure enough, a moment later he landed safely and securely behind Astrid atop her Deadly Nadder. Stormfly squawked gleefully at her success. "Thank you, milady," Hiccup said, and Astrid grinned back at him. "I would call that a success."

Astrid nodded and directed Stormfly to land on a nearby beach, where Toothless was pulling himself out of the water and shaking himself dry. The other teens were there too, watching with varying levels of awe and admiration in their expressions. Fishlegs, predictably, looked almost overwhelmed by it all, whereas Snotlout, also predictably, seemed unimpressed. It was hard to tell what Ruffnut and Tuffnut thought about the stunt, as they were arguing with each other over Thor-knew-what and weren't paying attention.

"And will someone please tell me what the point of that was?" Snotlout demanded as Hiccup and Astrid slid off the dragon's back. "How is teaching our dragons to throw us going to help us in battle?"

As usual, it was Fishlegs who figured it out first and answered before Hiccup could reply. "What if your dragon is flying into trouble that it can't avoid?" he said. "If there's a sticky situation, like an enemy trap, it makes sense to have an emergency escape for ourselves. Then, once the thrown rider is picked up by another's dragon, he or she is free to continue attacking, hopefully allowing them to free their captive dragon."

"Precisely," Hiccup confirmed, nodding proudly. "I hope we'll never have to use this particular move, but you never know. It's always bad when our dragons are captured or, gods forbid, even hurt, but it's worse if we get caught with them. So it's vital that we have a way out if we need one. Thankfully, the dragons are very protective already, so teaching them this shouldn't be too difficult."

Fishlegs nodded enthusiastically, and then his face fell slightly. "But the rest of us might have a harder time of it. It takes a lot of courage to let yourself be thrown from your dragon's back…" There was undisguised admiration in his voice when he added, "You're pretty brave, Hiccup. You have to be to allow yourself to go airborne like that."

Hiccup opened his mouth to reply but his cousin cut swiftly across him with a loud laugh. "Brave?" Snotlout chortled. "Come on! This is Hiccup we're talking about here! The one who ran screaming from a Monstrous Nightmare during that last raid, the one who was afraid of the fog monster on Breakneck Bog, the one who—"

"Yes, thank you Snotlout, we get the idea," Hiccup interrupted impatiently. "Now, here's what you need to do. First, you have to—"

"You're not really so brave," Snotlout said, fixating on this idea to everyone else's annoyance. "When it comes to real bravery, everyone knows who the most courageous Viking on Berk is…"

"Oh gods, he's really going there," Astrid sighed in resignation, and Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"It's me!" Snotlout continued, apparently not hearing or understanding Astrid's remark.

"For Thor's sake," Astrid grumbled. "Why is this such a big deal to you, Snotlout? Are you actually worried that Hiccup is every bit as brave as everyone says he is?"

A dark gleam appeared in Snotlout's eyes, and Hiccup suppressed a groan. He knew that look, and whatever followed never ended well for him.

"No, I'm not worried at all," Snotlout said, crossing his arms triumphantly. "Because I know a way to prove once and for all that Hiccup isn't brave."

"Oh this should be interesting," Astrid replied, also crossing her arms. "Let's hear it."

"Uh, guys, could we maybe return our attentions to training…?" Hiccup tried to interject, but Snotlout was wholly focused on his new scheme and ignored him.

"Here's what you have to do," he said, turning to his smaller cousin. "You have to spend the night all alone in the old Bjornson house. If you can make it through the night without fleeing in terror, then I'll take back everything I've ever said about you being a coward."

A ringing silence followed this challenge. Fishlegs' jaw dropped in horror as he looked from Snotlout to Hiccup and back again. "No!" he gasped. "No, Hiccup, don't do it! Don't go up to that old house!"

Hiccup didn't reply right away. The Bjornson house. Berk's own haunted house. It sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean and hadn't been occupied in years, not since old man Bjornson reportedly murdered his wife and two children within its walls. According to local legend, their ghosts still resided there, restlessly roaming its dark rooms, waiting for some poor foolish mortal to dare to step over its threshold. It was a house that most sensible people avoided. It was said that those who entered came out changed forever…if they came out at all.

Hiccup wasn't sure if he believed in ghosts or not. Sure, he was a rational-minded boy, always looking for natural explanations to what seemed to be otherworldly events. But he was also imaginative and quite capable of conjuring up all manner of ghouls and goblins whenever he heard something strange in the night. So naturally he didn't want to go anywhere near that old house.

But the more rational part of his brain was needling him. _This may be your chance_, it said. _It may be your chance to finally get Snotlout to shut up, to prove yourself to him. Maybe then he'll stop making these suggestions. _

It was a long shot, of course. It would take a small miracle to get Snotlout to shut up about anything. But…maybe in the long run…it was worth the chance…

Hiccup straightened and said, "All right, Snotlout. I'll spend the night in the Bjornson house. Alone. And if I stay there the whole night without leaving, you have to swear not to make any more jokes or crude remarks about my bravery."

Snotlout grinned wickedly. "Sure. And when you fail and run screaming for your bed – because I know you will – then I get to tell the whole village. We'll see what they think of your courage then."

Hiccup nodded. "You've got a deal." He turned toward town, ignoring Fishlegs' worried whimpering and Astrid's uncertain expression.

"Hold up a sec," Snotlout called, and Hiccup paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "No dragon. Toothless stays at your house tonight."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I kind of figured that out when you said 'alone,' Snotlout. 'Alone' generally means with no company whatsoever, dragon included."

Astrid smirked as Snotlout's smug smile flickered for just a moment. He hitched it back into place almost at once. "Right. Meet us at the house at sunset. Tell your dad that you're spending the night with me."

Hiccup nodded and, without another word, walked back to town, Toothless trailing along behind him.

…

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" Astrid asked as they walked through the forest that evening toward what the villagers had dubbed Haunted Cliff.

Hiccup shrugged. "Yeah, I know," he replied. "But at the same time, it's a great chance to finally quiet Snotlout down. If I can get through the night – and I see no reason why I shouldn't – then he'll have no choice but to finally accept that I do have a little bit of courage. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone with this, really. I just want Snotlout to shut up."

"A worthy goal," Astrid agreed with a small laugh, and Hiccup grinned.

It may have been a worthy goal, but the means to achieve those ends were bound to be complicated. Convincing his father that he was spending the night with Snotlout had been the easy part: Stoick had seemed thrilled that his son was finally spending some quality time with his cousin and had agreed without questioning it in the slightest. The real challenge had been convincing Toothless to stay behind. The Night Fury had become nearly inseparable from his rider, and while Hiccup would have dearly loved his dragon's company, he knew he had to face this alone. Getting Toothless to understand this, however, had been more than a little difficult.

They suddenly emerged from the forest and onto Haunted Cliff. There, only a few feet from where they stood, was the Bjornson house. It was a short two-story structure, almost identical to every other house on the island. But the passing years had not been kind to it. The wood was faded and worn-looking, and there was a hole in the roof. The windows were dark, and they reminded Hiccup of soulless eyes. The entire building had a neglected, unlived-in feel to it, but there was something else too: a strange sense that the house was somehow alive and watching them as they approached, silently warning them to keep their distance and promising pain to any who dared disregard that advice.

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins were already there, waiting for them. Fishlegs looked distinctly uneasy and kept glancing nervously back at the house, as if he expected it to pounce on him. Snotlout and the twins, on the other hand, seemed to be looking forward to what was coming. "There you are!" Snotlout said. "I was beginning to think you'd chickened out."

"Nope. I'm here," Hiccup replied, adjusting the strap of the bag he was carrying on his shoulder.

Snotlout nodded approvingly and glanced back out at the sea beyond the cliff. The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon. In a few more minutes, night would be upon them. "All right, Mr. Courageous," he said, grinning wickedly. "In you go."

Hiccup nodded and walked up to the door of the house. It didn't look any better up close. If anything, the sense of unease he'd been feeling ever since he first glimpsed the old dwelling got stronger with every step closer he took. But he didn't hesitate. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he did. He reached up and pushed the door open, and it swung slowly inward with a long, low creak that echoed throughout the empty house. The interior was pitch black, and for a moment Hiccup teetered on the edge of asking Toothless for some light before remembering the dragon wasn't with him. So he rummaged in his bag for a moment and pulled out a lantern, which he lit and then held aloft, peering into the house.

It was perfectly ordinary. It was just an old house. The furniture was dusty and covered in cobwebs, but other than that it might have been any other dwelling on Berk. _I can do this_, he thought. _It's just an old house. Nothing more. _

Right.

Steeling himself, Hiccup stepped over the threshold and into the house. The wooden beams creaked softly as they settled but otherwise there was silence. He turned to look at the others all gathered near the door. They apparently refused to come any closer.

"Well…good night," Hiccup said, giving them a little wave.

"Yeah…good night," Fishlegs echoed uneasily.

Hiccup caught Astrid's eye. She looked uncertain, but she said nothing. She merely nodded to him, and he returned the gesture with a faint smile. She was concerned for him, he could tell, but she didn't want to draw attention to their shared feeling of nervousness. He was grateful for that.

"See you tomorrow, Hiccup," Snotlout said, putting his hand on the door. Then he grinned and added, "Maybe."

Then he slammed the door shut, leaving Hiccup alone in the Bjornson house. At the same moment, the sun finally set over the horizon, plunging Berk into darkness.

Hiccup sighed and sat gingerly upon the wooden floorboards. He pulled a sleeping roll, a pillow, and a couple of blankets from his bag and laid them out before standing again, holding the lantern aloft. He may as well have a look around.

There wasn't much to see. The downstairs area was a combined kitchen and den, with a large table, a fire pit, an assortment of pots and utensils that all looked as if they hadn't been touched in decades, and a couple of chairs. Everything had a thick layer of dust coating it, and he sneezed several times as he explored his surroundings.

Upstairs were the living quarters, two rooms separated by a thick curtain. One room had a large bed while the other, clearly the children's room, had two smaller ones. Each bedroom also had a shelf for personal items and a small table. The only remarkable thing about the whole place was just how ordinary it was.

No…scratch that. There was something rather remarkable about the beds, now that Hiccup took a closer look, lowering the lantern to shed some light on them. Each of them boasted a large dark stain that had seeped into the wood. He knew what they were without having to be told. Blood.

This is where old man Bjornson had killed his wife and kids.

Hiccup shivered and returned downstairs, silently vowing not to venture up to the bedrooms again.

The night wore on. Apart from the howling and whistling of the wind as it rushed by the old house, the creaking of old, decrepit wood, and the steady beating of Hiccup's heart, there wasn't a sound. After about an hour, he decided that there was nothing to be concerned about. Surely anything that was living – or _not _living – within these walls would have made their presence known by now if they were displeased at his company. So he settled down atop his bedroll and pulled the sheets up to his chin, resisting the childish urge to yank them over his face. He blew out the lantern, and the house went totally dark. He shuddered and closed his eyes, whispering, "It's just a house. It's just an old house. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a house."

This seemed to soothe him slightly, and before long he had drifted off into a light and more or less peaceful sleep.

…

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he suddenly jerked awake. For a moment he didn't know what had roused him. The house was utterly silent. Even the wind had died down a bit outside. He frowned and peered around in the darkness, trying to pinpoint what exactly had woken him.

It was then that he heard a low, long groan.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and a chill went down his spine. He stood up and relit the lantern, holding it aloft. There was nothing in the room with him, but seeing that didn't make him feel any better. He felt suddenly certain that he was being watched.

"H-hello?" he called, his voice wavering. He received no answer. He tried again, stronger this time, "Hello?" but still got no reply.

_Did I imagine it? _he asked himself, but he dismissed the idea almost at once. He knew better. The goosebumps on his arms were proof that he was no longer alone in this house. He'd heard that noise, he was sure of it. The only question was, where had it come from?

This was answered almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind. The thing, whatever it was, groaned again, and this time Hiccup turned his head toward the stairs.

Of course. It was coming from the bedrooms. Naturally.

He stood motionless for a long time, merely staring at the steps leading up into the darkness as yet untouched by the lantern's light. A battle was waging in his mind. Should he go and investigate? Every instinct in him was urging him to go nowhere near those stairs. It was stupid to go _toward _the strange and creepy sound in the local haunted house, even Hiccup knew that. But he couldn't deny that there was a certain curiosity, an almost detached kind of wonder stirring in his brain. What if it wasn't supernatural at all? What if there was something up there making that noise, something perfectly ordinary? He'd feel pretty stupid if he didn't investigate out of fear and it turned out to be something simple.

But on the other hand, if he went up there and it _was _supernatural…

As he stood there silently debating, however, the decision was taken out of his hands. He heard the groan a third time, but this time he detected movement coming from upstairs. At first he couldn't figure out what it was: it moved slowly, keeping low to the floor and edging down in a way that didn't seem human.

Then the thing moved into the lantern light, and he realized with a thrill of fear what it was: mist. A thick, cloying fog that rolled and undulated down the stairs, reaching for him with its many tendrils like wispy fingers threatening to close around him and drag him into the netherworld. He staggered backward, his heart stuck in his throat, trembling from head to prosthetic foot. His eyes bugged out of his skull, and his mouth hung open as if in a silent scream. The mist rolled toward him, closing in on him, and from somewhere in its midst the _thing _groaned again.

This time, he heard it speak.

"_Hiiiiiccuuuuup_," it moaned. "_Hiiiiiiiiiiiccuuuuuuuup…come to us, Hiccup…come to us…we're so lonely here, Hiccup…come join us…forever…and ever…and ever…_"

Hiccup, his heart hammering like a war drum, shook his head mutely and leaned back, eyes never leaving the smoky fingers clawing their way toward him. They were only inches away now. What would happen when they finally reached him?

He didn't want to know.

But his feet were rooted to the floor in fear. He couldn't move another step. All he could do was stand there and watch as the mist approached, threatening to engulf him and claim him…

And then he heard the floor behind him creak under pressure.

He whirled around…

…saw the face hovering in the darkness…

…and screamed.

…

Outside the Bjornson house, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut sniggered. This was just too easy. They were crouching atop the curved roof of the old building, peering in through an upstairs window. The twins covered their mouths to stifle their laughter as Snotlout let out yet another creepy moan, his voice echoing and reverberating through the house. Just inside the room, tied to one of the bedposts, an infant Smothering Smokebreath dragon belched out a thick stream of dark gray fog that wafted and roiled toward the stairs, drifting down to the lower level where Hiccup was no doubt quaking with terror.

Snotlout suppressed a giggle and called out in his best ghostly voice, "_Hiiiiiccuuuuup_. _Hiiiiiiiiiiiccuuuuuuuup…come to us, Hiccup…come to us…we're so lonely here, Hiccup…come join us…forever…and ever…and ever…_"

Tuffnut snorted with laughter and quickly covered his mouth again. Snotlout turned to tell him to shut up, but before he could get a word out he heard what he'd been waiting for all night: Hiccup screamed.

At this, none of them could contain themselves any longer. They collapsed onto the roof, positively roaring with laughter, not caring if Hiccup heard them or not. "This was a great idea," Tuffnut remarked in between great guffaws.

"Yeah," Snotlout said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Yeah, it was."

"Did you hear him scream?" Ruffnut cackled. "Betcha he comes running out that door any moment now."

They hushed up their laughter to listen, straining their ears to pick up the sound of the front door creaking open. But there was silence from within the old house. Slowly, Snotlout's smile faded. "Why isn't he running?" he whispered. "We scared him bad enough he should be fleeing in terror! Why is he still inside?"

Tuffnut's eyes widened as he thought of something. "Do you think he passed out? Just collapsed out of fear?"

Snotlout blinked, and then a broad grin spread across his face. If Hiccup had fainted, had actually fainted…oh, his cousin was never going to hear the end of this!

Holding back his laughter, Snotlout slipped in through the window. He had to see this for himself. Ruff and Tuff followed him, and all three paused, trying to get their bearings. The Smokebreath's fog filled the room, making it almost impossible to see. Snotlout tiptoed forward, slowly feeling his way toward the stairs, squinting in an unsuccessful attempt to see through the mist swirling all around him.

The three friends eventually made it to the steps, but they soon discovered that the dragon's smoke had filled the room below as well, and they couldn't see Hiccup anywhere. Snotlout cursed under his breath. "Do you see him?" he hissed back at the twins.

"No," Ruffnut replied in a whisper, shaking her head. "Do you think he…"

But what exactly Hiccup might have done, Snotlout never found out. Ruff's voice was drowned out by a long moan that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. They looked around nervously. "Who's there?" Snotlout demanded, though he couldn't entirely mask the quavering of his voice. "Who's doing that?"

In answer, the voice moaned again, though they still couldn't determine where it was coming from. The mist distorted the sound, making it impossible to locate its source.

Tuffnut latched onto Ruffnut's arm, looking terrified. "It's the ghost of old man Bjornson," he whimpered. "He's mad 'cause we're in his house. He got Hiccup and now he's gonna get us too!"

"Shut up!" Snotlout snapped. His voice cracked slightly out of fear. What if Tuffnut was right? What if the ghost had gotten Hiccup and was now preparing to take them as well?

And then the voice spoke.

"_Snooooootlooouuuut…_" it groaned, and it was unlike anything they'd ever heard before. It made them all cringe in terror. "_Snnnoooooooootlooooouuuuut…he killed us, Snotlout. He killed us all…and now he's going to kill you too…run, Snotlout…run while you still can…run…run…RUN!_"

But where could they run? No matter which way they turned, which direction they looked, they could see nothing but swirling fog. Where was that door? They couldn't see it through the undulating mist. It seemed to have taken on a life of its own, reaching, groping, stretching, surrounding them…

It was Ruffnut who saw them first. She let out a squeak of terror, which made the others turn and follow her gaze. Their jaws dropped and their eyes bulged.

There were two shapes looming in the mist, two vaguely human shapes that held out their arms in silent invitation toward them. They seemed oddly distorted, as though they were hunched over in pain.

And they were glowing.

The mist surrounding the figures was glowing a bright, bluish-purple. And as they watched with their eyes popping in utter horror, the light got brighter and brighter, filling the mist and nearly blinding them.

And then the ghosts shrieked.

It was a sound that would haunt the three teens until their dying days. An unearthly, inhuman scream of utter agony, terror, and fury that shot through them like well-aimed arrows, sending sharp bolts of ice through their veins, freezing them where they stood.

Snotlout was the first to break out of the spell.

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

He screamed and whirled around, running without thought toward the nearest wall. By sheerest luck, it was the wall that held the front door. He flung it open and hurtled into the silent night, the twins hot on his heels. They didn't stop running until they reached the village.

So they weren't around to see Hiccup and Astrid emerge from the Bjornson house, lowering the sheets from over their heads and laughing harder than they had in a very long time. Behind them, Toothless warbled his weird dragon chuckle, adding his voice to the humans' as they roared with mirth.

"Oh…that was priceless," Astrid finally gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "As long as I live, I'll never forget the look on Snotlout's face."

Hiccup chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Thanks for tipping me off," he said after a moment. "Although next time, please don't sneak up on me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Astrid said, though it was hard to tell if she was being sincere; she was still giggling madly. "I came just as soon as I realized what they were up to."

Hiccup nodded. "Well, I guess we'd better take care of that Smokebreath dragon," he remarked.

Astrid, finally calming down enough to form a complete sentence without punctuating it with laughter, suggested, "Stormfly and I will escort it back to Breakneck Bog. You stay here." She grinned. "You still have a bet to win."

Hiccup agreed, though now the prospect of spending the night in the old Bjornson house didn't seem so bad. "All right. I'll wait here till dawn." He turned to Toothless. "I seriously doubt anyone will be bothering me again tonight, but if you want you can stay too, as long as you remain outside." He winked at Astrid. "Snotlout just said I had to be alone in the house. He said nothing about there being a dragon guarding the door."

Toothless crooned happily, butting his head against his friend's side. Hiccup grinned and scratched him under the chin.

Astrid went back into the house to free the chained Smokebreath and reemerged a moment later carrying it under her arm. "We'll be back in a bit," she said, and she whistled for Stormfly, who'd been hiding in the trees. A moment later they were airborne. Hiccup waved them off before turning back toward the dilapidated building. Examining the woodwork for a moment, he grinned.

"Yep," he said as he stepped inside, his hand on the door. "Just an old house."

Toothless rumbled in agreement, and Hiccup smiled. Then he closed the door. There was still a few hours' sleep to be had before he triumphantly faced his cousin. Just before he drifted off, he grinned and mumbled, "Who's the coward now, Snotlout?"

And then, still grinning, he fell asleep.


	11. All I Ask of You

All I Ask of You

**A/N: This one might require a bit of explanation… Some time ago I got the idea to retell Gaston Leroux's novel **_**The Phantom of the Opera **_**with the **_**How to Train Your Dragon **_**characters. It was an errant thought and I didn't really put a lot of effort into it, though I did decide that Hiccup would be Raoul, Astrid would be Christine, Snotlout would be Erik (the Phantom – remember, I'd be using the book as a source, not the musical), Stoick would be Philippe, and Toothless would be the Persian. But I never got any farther than that and ultimately decided against trying it. However, the idea still nagged at me, so I compromised: I borrowed one of the songs from the musical, set up a scene with Astrid and Hiccup – as their **_**Phantom **_**characters – and let them play it out. I chose the Apollo's Lyre scene from the novel because it's pretty much the pivotal point of the story, and the corresponding song from the musical, "All I Ask of You," because it's beautiful and fitting for the scene I was creating. Besides, I've been meaning to write a story in which Hiccup gets to offer protection to Astrid instead of the other way around, and this was a perfect outlet. This story is the end result. I hope you enjoy it! **

"**All I Ask of You" from **_**The Phantom of the Opera**_** © The Really Useful Group**

Silence reigned over the little cove in the woods. The late afternoon sun shone down upon the empty grotto, reflecting off the surface of the lake in its center. There was no movement of any kind. There were no animals scurrying about, no birds flitting from tree to tree, not even a breath of wind stirring the leaves. It was utterly peaceful.

That peace was shattered when a large black dragon swooped in from the sky and landed gracefully on the banks of the lake. The dragon itself didn't make a sound, but the two humans it was carrying were discussing something in loud, emotion-strained voices.

"I told you, Hiccup, it's nothing!" said the blond-haired girl as she swiftly dismounted from the dragon's back. "You're being ridiculous!"

"Am I?" Hiccup retorted, also sliding out of the saddle, his prosthetic leg making a soft click as it met the ground. "You disappear for days and when you show up again you pretend I don't exist. You don't talk to me, don't answer me, don't even look at me for weeks. And you expect me to believe that you're fine and nothing's changed? I'm not an idiot, Astrid. I can tell something's wrong. But I can't help you unless you fill me in."

"I don't need your help!" Astrid snapped, looking sharply back at him. "I don't need anyone's help!"

Hiccup sighed and shook his head. "Astrid look, I know you're strong. I know you can kick every butt on Berk without breaking a sweat. I know you're independent and fierce and…" He floundered for a moment, failing to come up with the right adjectives. Then he huffed and continued, "I know you're putting up a front. You're trying to convince me you're not afraid and it's not working."

At this Astrid whipped around and snarled, "Afraid?! I am _not _afraid, Hiccup! I'm not a coward!"

"Being afraid doesn't make you a coward," Hiccup countered, stepping forward. His voice was soft and soothing, and it was this perhaps that stopped Astrid from storming away from him. "Being afraid makes you human. And despite your best attempts to make everyone believe that you're more than human, I know better." He reached out and cautiously put a hand on Astrid's shoulder. She stiffened but didn't draw away. "You're strong, Astrid, but even the strongest people can only take so much before they crumble. That's why people communicate. Then other people can help you when you need it."

Astrid blinked and looked away, refusing to meet his eyes as she mumbled, "I don't need help."

She couldn't even convince herself, let alone Hiccup. He quirked one eyebrow and replied, "Yes you do. And there's no shame in admitting it."

Astrid looked sharply back up at Hiccup and seemed to be about to speak, but no sound came out of her mouth. She closed her jaw again and swallowed.

Hiccup pressed gently, "Open up to me, Astrid. Let me help you. Please."

Astrid hesitated. She gazed into Hiccup's bright green eyes, those sweet, gentle eyes that were filled with compassion and concern. And she broke. She fell into his arms and started sobbing. "I'm scared, Hiccup…so…so scared…" she gasped.

Hiccup, a little startled, wrapped his arms securely around her and asked, "What's going on, Astrid? What are you scared of?"

Astrid sniffed. "S-Snotlout."

Hiccup frowned. Snotlout? Of all the people on Berk, he was the last person he figured Astrid would be afraid of. Except perhaps himself. "Why? What's he done?"

Astrid drew back and extricated herself from his arms, turning to look at the lake. By the glassy look of her eyes, Hiccup figured she wasn't really seeing it. "Ever since he got burned, he's been…different," she began haltingly.

Hiccup nodded. It was true. A few months ago, Snotlout's dragon Hookfang had accidentally burned Snotlout's face. It wasn't like Snotlout hadn't been burned before, but up till then the wounds had been merely superficial, easily healed. This time, though, the fire had severely disfigured the burly young Viking's face. With the scar tissue and shiny burns, Snotlout was all but unrecognizable.

Naturally he'd been acting a little differently since the accident. He rarely ventured outdoors anymore, and when he did he wore a crude wooden mask to conceal his disfigurement. His once boastful and swaggering demeanor was replaced with sullen silence and hunched shoulders. He didn't come to training sessions at the Academy anymore, and he hadn't been heard to speak at all ever since he discovered the damage Hookfang's fire had caused. Hiccup pitied his cousin. He may have been vain and irritating, but no one deserved something like that.

Still, that didn't explain why Astrid would be afraid of him. Did she perhaps catch sight of his face? Hiccup had, and the sight had given him nightmares, but Astrid didn't strike him as the time to be so affected by someone else's physical injury. So he asked, "What do you mean?"

Astrid sighed, apparently trying to decide how much to tell. Eventually she said, "You know how he was always flirting with me before the accident?"

Hiccup nodded. He did. It had been more than a little irritating to watch his cousin persist in trying to steal his girlfriend.

"Well…" Astrid hesitated. "A couple of weeks ago, he pulled me aside and told me he wanted to talk to me. He was wearing his mask at the time. He said he wanted to show me his home."

"You mean his parents' basement?" Hiccup asked, frowning. Snotlout had been proud to move into his parents' basement and had boasted nonstop about it for weeks. Hiccup had never really understood what was so special about it.

"No," Astrid replied, shaking her head. "Apparently he moved out of his parents' house after the accident. He now lives in the caves under Berk. He's set up quite a nice living space down there, actually. It was quite comfortable."

"Wait, you went there with him?" Hiccup asked, stunned.

Astrid nodded. "I was stupid, I know. But I felt so sorry for him that I agreed. He led me down there through one of the tunnels. He was…he was a perfect gentleman."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows. Snotlout? A perfect gentleman?

"Yeah, I know," Astrid laughed weakly. "Surprised me too. He insisted I ride on Hookfang's back for most of the trip, until we came up to an underground lake."

"There's a lake down there?" Hiccup interrupted, and Astrid could tell that, despite everything, he was wondering how they'd missed that in their explorations.

"Yes," Astrid confirmed. "It wasn't very big, but there was a boat on the shore. Snotlout helped me off Hookfang and into the boat and rowed across to the other side, where he'd set up his lair. He told me…he told me that what was his was mine, that I was to make myself at home. At the time I thought he was just being nice, but now that I think back on it I think he was telling me he wanted me to stay there indefinitely." She shuddered. "I made myself comfortable on a bench and asked if he wasn't going to take off his mask. He said that he wouldn't. 'No one will ever see Snotlout's face,' were his exact words. I thought it was strange but didn't really give it much thought at the time."

She frowned for a moment. "I think I must have fallen asleep at some point. At any rate, I closed my eyes and when I opened them again he had moved. He was no longer sitting across from me but was standing near the edge of the lake. I joined him and asked what he was thinking about. 'I'm thinking about you,' he said. 'I'm thinking about you and me and what might have been.'" Astrid wrapped her arms around herself. "At the time I thought he was returning to his normal flirty self, and I…I thought I'd respond the way I always did to his advances. I…I was going to punch his shoulder but…then I thought it would be better if I removed his mask, just to spite him."

She raised her hands in front of her, as if Snotlout was standing there with them. "I reached out and grabbed the mask in my hands and yanked it away. And…and…" She turned back to Hiccup and buried her face in his shoulder. "Oh gods, Hiccup! That face…that face…!"

"I know," Hiccup soothed. "It's not a pretty sight."

Astrid shivered and Hiccup tightened his hold slightly. "He was furious. He…he howled like a wounded animal. I was frightened and retreated back, but I tripped over a chair and fell. He…he towered over me, this monster out of my worst nightmares. He put his face up close to mine and yelled, 'You wanted to see?! Well go on, then, look! Look! Feast your eyes, glut your soul on my hideous face! I told you not to touch my mask but oh no, you just had to take a peek! Well if you're so curious, then go on and look!'

"I tried to get away from him and refused to look at his face, but he grabbed my hands and put them to his cheeks. 'Do you think that this is another mask?' he asked. 'Well go on, try to remove it, I dare you! Then you'll see, then you'll know that this is no mask! This is my face, my hideous face, the face I have to live with for the rest of my life!' And he dug my fingers into his skin, drawing blood…"

Hiccup's stomach turned. "Oh gods, Astrid…" he moaned quietly.

"He released me then and turned away, covering his face with his hands. 'Now you've seen me,' he said. 'Now you've seen my face, and once a woman sees Snotlout's face she belongs to me forever! You can never leave this place, Astrid. If you hadn't seen my face you could have left because there was a chance you'd come back to see me again. But now that you've seen…you would never return…so you can never leave…'"

Astrid broke off and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Hiccup scanned the cove with his eyes. There was nothing out of place. "No, I didn't hear anything."

Astrid sighed. "I hear him everywhere now. Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn he's there…"

"How did you escape?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid sighed. "I placated him. I promised him that I would return. To prove myself, I destroyed his mask and lived with him for a couple of days. I did my best to show him that I wasn't afraid of him, and after a while he let me go under the condition that I'd return."

"And you did," Hiccup said, remembering the night of the Midsummer's Feast. Astrid had been there and he'd tried to talk to her, but she'd deflected all his questions, finally exclaiming, "Hiccup, for both our sakes, please don't ask me anything!" and hurrying off. He'd followed her as far as Bjorn's yak farm before losing sight of her. At the time he'd been bewildered at her disappearance, but now it made sense: the yak farm was home to one of the tunnels that led to the caverns beneath Berk.

Astrid nodded. "I wanted to tell you then, Hiccup, but Snotlout made me swear not to breathe a word of it. He threatened you. He said that…if I wanted to keep you safe I was to pretend you meant nothing to me. If he got wind that we were still together, he would come after you. That's why I haven't spoken to you for so long. I was trying to protect you, Hiccup!" Her voice was shaking now. She sounded on the verge of tears. "I've tried so hard to pretend everything's all right and to keep Snotlout calm but I just can't do it anymore! I can't…I can't…"

Hiccup shushed her and held her close, rocking her gently back and forth. "It's all right, Astrid," he murmured. "It's all right. We'll figure something out."

"What?" Astrid demanded. "What can we do? He's insane, Hiccup! I…I've never been afraid of Snotlout before, but…but now I don't doubt that he will hurt us if he finds out that I've talked to you again. Hiccup…" She drew back and looked him in the eye. "He will kill us both. He swore he would and I don't doubt him."

Hiccup felt his heart miss a beat but he merely pulled her back into his embrace. She sobbed and sniffed and wrapped her arms around him. In that moment she never wanted to let go.

Then, to her utter surprise, Hiccup started to sing softly.

"_No more talk of darkness_

_Forget these wide-eyed fears_

_I'm here, nothing can harm you_

_My words will warm and calm you_"

Astrid gazed up at him. She'd never heard Hiccup sing before. He had a nice singing voice. It somehow lost that nasally edge it had when he spoke, allowing a rather rich tenor to flow from him. He smiled down at her as she watched him, allowing the song to enter her, fill her, warm her.

"_Let me be your freedom_

_Let daylight dry your tears_

_I'm here, with you, beside you_

_To guard you and to guide you_"

He took a breath, but before he could continue, Astrid opened her mouth and started singing too. His eyes widened comically but a smile soon spread across his face. Her voice was a beautiful soprano, and it reverberated slightly in the late afternoon silence around them.

"_Say you love me every waking moment_

_Turn my head with talk of summertime_

_Say you need me with you now and always_

_Promise me that all you say is true_

_That's all I ask of you_"

Hiccup nodded with each of her requests and took her hands in his as he sang the next verse.

"_Let me be your shelter_

_Let me be your light_

_You're safe, no one will find you_

_Your fears are far behind you_"

Oh how Astrid hoped and wished he was right. She turned and looked across the cove, her eyes lingering a moment on the shimmering waters of the lake. It reminded her of the lake in the caverns, and she shuddered before admitting:

"_All I want is freedom_

_A world with no more night_

_And you, always beside me_

_To hold me and to hide me_"

She turned back to Hiccup as he picked up the song, his voice rising in pitch:

"_Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_

_Let me lead you from your solitude_

_Say you need me with you here, beside you_

_Anywhere you go, let me go too_

_Astrid, that's all I ask of you_"

Astrid beamed up at him and started singing before he'd finished the last line:

"_Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_

_Say the word and I will follow you_"

Hiccup joined her, their voices harmonizing beautifully.

"_Share each day with me, each night, each morning_"

Her voice quieting slightly, as if afraid what he might say in reply, Astrid made one more request:

"_Say you love me_"

She need not have worried. Hiccup beamed and replied:

"_You know I do_"

Astrid smiled in relief as Hiccup reached up to brush her cheek with his fingers. Then they sang together:

"_Love me, that's all I ask of you_"

For a moment they stood motionless. Then Hiccup leaned forward, tilting his head slightly, his lips parting. Astrid wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer and forcing their mouths together. They kissed passionately, holding each other, closing their eyes and losing themselves in their love for each other. Hiccup's heart swelled so much he thought it would burst. Astrid felt joy rising within her, and in that one moment she wasn't the least bit worried about Snotlout.

They broke apart after a moment or two and sang the last two lines of the song together:

"_Anywhere you go, let me go too_

_Love me, that's all I ask of you_"

The song finished, they leaned in for another kiss, this one no less passionate than the last. Neither of them knew how long it was before they drew back nor did they remember who ended the kiss, but they smiled at each other for several minutes afterward, content to simply stand in their embrace, not saying a word.

It was Toothless who finally spurred them into motion. He roared impatiently from his spot a few yards away, where he'd been watching and listening to their exchange in bemusement. But now it was time to break his silence. The sun was setting! It was time for his and Hiccup's nightly flight around the island. His patience could only take so much.

Hiccup laughed. "Way to kill the mood, Toothless," he said, and Astrid giggled a little breathlessly. Then Hiccup motioned toward the dragon. "What do you say? Join us on our flight?"

Astrid nodded, still smiling, and followed Hiccup over to where Toothless stood, his tail wagging excitedly. They mounted, and no sooner had Hiccup's metal leg fastened itself in the stirrup that the dragon bounded into the air. Hiccup and Astrid's cries of joy echoed in the silence they left behind in the cove.

Neither of them saw the dark shape watching from the tree line at the edge of the grotto, the dark shape whose face was hidden beneath the shadows of his cloak.


	12. Protector

Protector

**A/N: This is just a bit of Hiccup-Toothless bonding fluff. Because you can never have too much of that. :) **

They were falling.

He wasn't accustomed to falling. He was a dragon, and dragons flew. But ever since his tail had been damaged and the boy had started riding him, things had been different. He'd fallen once before now, and that was an experience he hoped to never repeat.

But this time…this time was so much worse. The Dragon Queen was behind them, rapidly gaining as they plummeted toward the ground. His boy was still in the saddle, however, even though he had no steering power anymore, not with the fake tailfin burned to a crisp. Still, his presence was a comfort to the otherwise defenseless dragon.

And besides, his boy had a plan to defeat this monster. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.

Sure enough, the boy yelled, "NOW!" and he knew immediately what he was expected to do. He spun around and shot a fireball into the beast's open maw, igniting the gas building up in her throat. Her end was inevitable: she would burn from the inside out and be utterly destroyed. No dragon would ever have to be her slave ever again.

But there was one little problem. He was still falling. And there wasn't much he could do to stop that.

The boy adjusted his foot in the stirrup and the tattered remnants of the tailfin responded. He and the boy shot upward at the last second as the queen rammed headfirst into the ground and exploded in a giant fiery mass. He knew he had nothing to fear from the flames. He was a dragon, after all. His skin was fireproof.

The boy's, however, was not.

It happened so fast that there was no time to prepare. The monster's gigantic armored tail came swinging from out of nowhere and collided with them, knocking the boy from his back. He screamed in terror as he twisted in midair and saw his one and only friend fall toward a fiery death, his arms reaching up for him, his eyes closed in…what? Unconsciousness, defeat? It was hard to tell.

He plunged downward, flapping his wings furiously in an attempt to reach the boy before he entered the flames. Then they were both engulfed in light and heat, and he lost sight of his friend.

Two seconds later, he hit the ground with a heavy thud.

He must have blacked out for a moment, for when he opened his eyes again the fire had gone out and a heavy gray smoke hung in the air. The boy's father was kneeling in front of him, looking sadder than any creature he'd ever seen. "I'm so…so sorry," he said, and he could tell the man meant it.

He suddenly realized that his wings were folded around his body. He'd done that to protect the boy from the fire as they'd fallen. A surge of relief flowed through him, and he opened his wings to reveal…

…nothing.

The boy was gone.

_No! _

He roared in horror and scrambled to his feet, looking around for his friend, the scrawny little Viking that had defied all expectations and done what no man had ever done: befriended him, the mighty Night Fury, the most elusive and unreachable of dragons; that skinny little fishbone of a boy that now meant more to him than anything.

He was nowhere to be seen.

The only evidence he'd ever existed was the charred remnants of a leather riding harness. Nothing else remained of him.

_No…no no no no NO NO NO…! _

Toothless woke with a mighty jerk and jumped to his feet, looking wildly around the dark bedroom. Hiccup was there, asleep in his bed, a peaceful expression on his face, his dreams untroubled.

_He was safe! _

Toothless bounded over to the bed and warbled in relief. The sound woke Hiccup, who looked blearily up at his dragon. "Toothless?" he mumbled, yawning. "What is it, bud? What're you…whoa!"

Toothless buried his head in Hiccup's torso, crooning and purring happily. _You're alive, you're alive! I thought you were dead! I thought I'd lost you! You're alive! _

"Toothless, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked, thoroughly bewildered. In answer, the Night Fury merely continued nuzzling him. He looked up into the boy's face, and Hiccup gazed silently for a moment into his large, orb-like green eyes.

Then he reached out and wrapped his arms around the dragon's head. "Bad dream, huh?" he murmured. "I know, bud. I get them too."

Toothless whined deep in his throat, pressing his head into Hiccup's chest.

"It's all right, Toothless," the boy said softly, gently stroking the scales on his forehead. "I'm here, bud. I'm okay. Everything's just fine. We're safe."

Toothless huffed quietly. Then, to Hiccup's surprise, he hoisted himself up onto the bed. The wooden frame creaked in protest but the dragon ignored the sound, curling up in a tight ball atop Hiccup's sleeping furs. Then he reached out with one foot and pulled his boy in so that he was nestled snugly against his warm, scaly body. Hiccup blinked, too stunned to say anything for a moment. Then he grinned and chuckled, reaching out to hug Toothless' head, which had once again buried itself in his chest. "Oh Toothless…" he sighed, leaning into the dragon's protective grasp.

Toothless crooned and closed his eyes, content. His boy was safe now, he'd make sure of it. He'd protect his friend at all cost. Nothing was going to hurt him.

"You really don't have to guard me, Toothless," Hiccup remarked with a grin. "But thank you." He placed his hand on the Night Fury's cheek and added, "I love you, bud."

Toothless purred quietly, and Hiccup leaned back, nestling comfortably into the dragon's body. He was asleep again in moments, his breathing slowing into that smooth, even rhythm of rest. Toothless stayed awake for a few minutes longer, apparently determined to make sure his boy wasn't going to slip out of his protection again. Then, satisfied, he too allowed sleep to scoop him peacefully away. He did not dream again for the rest of the night.


	13. The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion

**A/N: First of all, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! For one, this is the second haunted house-themed story in this collection and I hate repeating myself. For another, I've basically done this story already in my collection of **_**Lion King **_**one-shots and again, I really hate repeating myself. But…I couldn't help it! This thing was begging me to be written! **

**Essentially, this is a modern AU story in which Hiccup and Astrid find themselves trapped inside Disney's Haunted Mansion. Yeah. I don't know, I've been in a Haunted Mansion mood lately and I wondered how the HTTYD characters would react to the ghosts and stuff and…(sigh)…yeah… **

**The Mansion in this story is mostly based on the Walt Disney World version of the attraction, although it contains heavy references to Mansions in Disney theme parks around the world, including Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, as well as elements from Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. (I don't count Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor as a Haunted Mansion, so I didn't reference it at all.) I've tried to portray the attraction in its modern incarnation, although I've added some throwbacks to the Mansions that once were or perhaps never were at all. Some lines have been borrowed from the album/CD **_**The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion**_**. **

**The Haunted Mansion and all its components © Disney **

"We're lost, aren't we?"

Henry "Hiccup" Haddock winced and sighed. He scuffed his prosthetic left foot unhappily and replied, "Maybe…"

Beside him, his girlfriend Astrid Hofferson rolled her eyes. "In other words, yes, but you're too stubborn to admit it."

"I thought you liked it when I'm stubborn," Hiccup retorted, and his cheek earned him a swift punch to the arm. "Ow! Jeez!"

"You know, when you said you were going to take me for a romantic stroll, I kind of figured you had a general idea of where you were going to go," Astrid said irritably.

"I did!" Hiccup tried to defend himself. "I just…well…got a little turned around…"

Astrid huffed but didn't press the issue. Perhaps she sensed how badly her boyfriend felt about their little date getting so far off course and decided to let him off the hook, at least for the time being. At any rate, they walked in tense silence for several minutes down the dismal road they were traversing. Trees lined both sides of the path, tall, towering shapes that loomed overhead and seemed to be reaching for them with their long, outstretched branches. The moon was obscured by writhing clouds, leaving them in a state of near-pitch darkness.

Then lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and a heavy rain started to fall. "Oh great!" Astrid snapped as they quickened their pace. They were both soaked through in moments.

"Look!" Hiccup suddenly cried, pointing up ahead. Astrid followed his gaze and her mouth dropped open. Up ahead was a wrought iron gate, behind which sat a great stone mansion on a hill. The windows were all dark, and the building had the distinct feel of one that hadn't been occupied in many years. "Maybe we can wait out the storm in there," Hiccup suggested, clearly also realizing the house was abandoned. "It's better than walking in the rain, at least."

Astrid didn't reply. She didn't know why, but the house made her feel uneasy. It was a huge Dutch Gothic manor made of red brick and gray stone. It comprised of a central tower, complete with cupola, with two wings that sprouted out on either side in a vague claw shape. There was a small steel-and-glass structure attached at the side, a conservatory perhaps? She counted four chimneys silhouetted against the stormy night sky like thick fingers pointed tauntingly at the clouds. Overall, with its looming structure and sharp angles, the house gave off an unpleasant aura. It reminded her of some mythical monster eyeing its prey, daring it to come close enough for it to strike.

She shook herself mentally, embarrassed. She was fearless Astrid Hofferson! She did not get frightened by old houses!

She followed Hiccup through the old gate, which creaked loudly as he pushed it open, and up the drive to where the mansion sat on its hill, like an old monarch looking coldly down upon its domain. If Hiccup found the house disturbing he didn't let on, hurrying up the front steps and under the porch. Astrid joined him, shaking her arms in an unsuccessful attempt to dry herself.

"Admittedly not how I imagined our night would go," Hiccup remarked sadly. "I'm sorry, Astrid."

Astrid merely sighed and shivered. "Don't worry about it," she said. Then she cringed as a sudden gust of wind blew the rain under the porch. "Instead, let's worry about how we're going to get out of this weather."

Hiccup nodded and looked back at the house. "I wonder if the door's unlocked."

Astrid almost refused to entertain the idea but bit her tongue at the last moment. She didn't want Hiccup to know that she was feeling nervous about this house, that she'd actually rather stay outside and get wet than step one foot over the threshold. So she merely shrugged. Hiccup reached out and grasped the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the door open. The room beyond was dark and gloomy. "Come on," Hiccup said, leading a reluctant Astrid into the mansion.

The foyer was pitch-black. "Do you have a lighter?" Hiccup asked. Astrid pulled one out of her purse and handed it to him. He flicked it, and a dim light permeated the room. It was barren except for a lone portrait situated on the wall directly in front of them in between two doors. The painting was of a young man, dressed elegantly in a black coat and wearing a small smile for the artist.

"There's a candelabra over there," said Astrid, pointing to a pedestal in a corner. "Light some candles." She hoped Hiccup wouldn't notice the slight trembling of her voice, or that he'd just attribute it to her cold, wet state.

Hiccup complied. The three candles illuminated the room better than the lighter.

Then a voice spoke out, a deep cold voice that echoed eerily through the gloom: "You! You who have dared disturb the serenity of this place! You must have a lot of courage to step through the door of this house."

Hiccup and Astrid stood frozen, terrified. The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

Then the voice continued, "Well, don't make me beg you. Come in, come in! Close the door behind you. One could catch their death in this weather, but I'm afraid there's a bit more to fear than a little rain."

As if in response to the disembodied voice, the door swung shut with a creak and a bang. The teens jumped and Hiccup grasped the doorknob. It refused to turn. "It's locked!" he cried.

"When hinges creak in door-less chambers," intoned the voice, "and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candle lights flicker where the air is deathly still; that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight."

As the voice spoke, the portrait on the wall changed. The man's flesh paled and wrinkled, his hair turned gray and thinned out, and his coat faded and tore with age until the formerly young man was reduced to a rotting corpse, leering down at them from the painting.

Astrid suddenly didn't care if Hiccup knew she was afraid anymore. Judging from his wide-eyed look of utter terror, he was just as scared as she was. She clutched Hiccup's free hand fearfully and felt just a little reassured when his fingers tightened over hers. She wasn't sure if he was offering comfort or seeking it for himself, but at that moment she didn't much care either way.

"Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion," said the voice. "I am your host, your 'Ghost Host.'"

Astrid reached back and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge for her, either.

"I am sorry, but we cannot release you. You will not be harmed, but you will not be freed until you have taken a tour of my home. We get so few visitors…live ones, that is." The Ghost Host chuckled darkly.

The door to the left of the painting opened, revealing a dimly lit room. "Please step this way, and your tour of the Haunted Mansion will begin."

The teens hesitated. Then Hiccup nodded resolutely and led Astrid into a large octagonal portrait gallery. Every other wall was decorated by an oil painting. One was of a young woman holding a parasol. Another was of a smug-looking man wearing a bowler hat. The third was of a stately-looking gentleman holding what appeared to be a speech. The last was of an elderly woman holding a rose in her wrinkled hands. The room was lit by flickering candles held by gargoyle sconces in the walls above them. Their faces were twisted into malevolent grins, and Hiccup could have sworn he heard them whispering and giggling to each other.

The door shut behind them, and the Ghost Host said, "Our tour begins here in this gallery, here where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state. Kindly step all the way in, please. There's no turning back now!"

There was a moment of complete silence. Then a loud creaking sound filled the room, and the chamber began to stretch. Hiccup and Astrid looked wildly around in shock and horror as the walls elongated, the ceiling slowly rising…or was the floor sinking?

"Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis," observed the Ghost Host, his voice sounding as though it was steadily moving around the room. "Is this haunted room actually stretching, or is it your imagination? Hmm?"

By now, the portraits had elongated fully, revealing grisly scenes of murder and mayhem. The young woman with the umbrella was standing on a tightrope suspended over a hungry crocodile. The smug man was straddling the shoulders of another man, who was on the shoulders of another man, who was the only one aware that they were slowly sinking in quicksand. The speech-holding man was pant-less and standing on a keg of dynamite, the fuse lit by a candle. The elderly woman was sitting on a tombstone, with a bust of a man at its base; the bust had an ax imbedded in its skull.

"And consider this dismaying observation," the Ghost Host continued. "This chamber has no windows and no doors."

Hiccup and Astrid whirled around to face the door they'd entered through, but to their terror, it had vanished. They were trapped.

"Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out!"

The Ghost Host let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout the chamber. The walls had finally stopped stretching, and the room now felt more like a prison cell, cramped and suffocating. Hiccup clutched Astrid's hand painfully tight but she made no move to loosen his grip.

"Of course, there's always _my _way…" the Ghost Host added.

Thunder crashed and the room was plunged into darkness as the candles in Hiccup's hand and the gargoyle sconces suddenly flickered and died. Hiccup and Astrid looked up in surprise and saw that the ceiling had mysteriously vanished, revealing the rafters above. Flashes of lightning illuminated a rotting corpse dangling from a taut noose tied to one of the beams. Hiccup yelped and nearly dropped the candelabra.

Then the room went totally dark, and a loud scream rent the air, followed by a bone-jarring crash. Then silence.

The candles in the room flickered back to life. The ceiling had returned, hiding the corpse from view.

"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely," said the Ghost Host. "The real chills come later. Now, as they say, 'look alive,' and we'll continue our little tour."

It took the teens a moment to notice that a door had appeared in the wall in front of them. Shaking from fright, Hiccup led Astrid to the door and pushed it open into a dimly lit hallway. They stepped through, and the door closed behind them.

The left wall of the corridor was lined with three windows framed in luxurious draperies. On the other side, the storm raged on. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. On the right wall were four paintings: a young woman reclining on a sofa, a man on horseback, a sailing ship, and a stately Roman goddess. The teens drew level with the first window as a flash of lightning illuminated the hall. Astrid gasped, "Hiccup, look!"

Hiccup followed her gaze to the picture of the man on horseback. The lightning flash put a strange light on it, making it appear to change momentarily before returning to its normal state. Hiccup blinked and looked again. Sure enough, with each flash of lightning, the man and horse became ghostly and skeletal. Looking down the hall, Hiccup noticed that the other paintings were changing also. The boat became a ghost ship, torn sails flapping uselessly in the wind. The Roman goddess turned into a stone Medusa, glaring and snarling at them. And the reclining woman morphed into a white tiger, baring her teeth in a warning grimace and clutching a bone in her claws.

"It's just a trick of the light," Hiccup said, apparently trying to put some humor into their situation. He then grunted in pain as Astrid punched his arm, clearly not amused.

The hallway curved up ahead. On the far wall, two marble busts sat in their alcoves, seemingly staring at the teens as they made their way down the corridor. They reached the corner and turned, but Hiccup stopped, staring at the busts. They had twisted around on their pedestals, gazing directly at him.

He shuddered and kept going. The hall branched off to the left into a staircase that curved upward, ending in a balcony that hung over the corridor below. In the near-darkness, Hiccup could just make out the shape of a candelabra like the one in his hand, its candles lit and flickering. But he could not see if anyone was holding it: it seemed to be simply floating in mid-air. He shivered and continued down the hall, leading Astrid by the hand. There were more portraits lining the walls, but with no windows to let in the lightning flashes, these did not appear to change. However, they were both unnerved to find that the subjects' eyes seemed to follow their progress down the corridor. Without speaking, they averted their gazes and sped up.

The hallway ended in another door, which opened into a library. The walls were lined with shelves crowded with hundreds of books. In the dim light provided by a lone, flickering lamp and the candelabra in Hiccup's left hand, it was hard to read the titles of the volumes, although a couple seemed to deal with voodoo and witchcraft. Eight more busts were set on the shelves as well. Like the ones in the hall, they seemed to watch the teens' every move. A ladder in the corner shifted and tilted, as though an invisible person was leaning for an out-of-reach book. A rocking chair squeaked back and forth on its own, and a single book slid across the floor by itself.

"Our library is well-stocked with priceless first editions, only ghost stories of course," said the Ghost Host, making Hiccup jump and Astrid gasp. "And marble busts of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known."

Astrid pointed to a door at the other end of the room, and they both headed toward it. Hiccup pushed it open, and the sound of a piano reached their ears. They stepped into a small music room, dominated by a box piano situated in front of a picture window, which overlooked a dreary landscape of overgrown grass and dead trees. The piano was covered in a layer of dust, and although the seat was empty, invisible hands were pounding away to a disjointed tune. The shadow of the pianist spilled across the floor at the teens' feet.

"They have all retired here to the Haunted Mansion," continued the Ghost Host. "Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here. But there's room for a thousand. Any volunteers?"

"Uh…" Hiccup spoke up, his voice shaking slightly. "No, I-I don't think so. See, I'm actually kind of fond of, you know, being alive."

Astrid almost laughed. Almost.

"Well, if you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour," added the Ghost Host.

The far end of the music room opened up to a grand staircase, the banisters flanked by huge stone griffins. Astrid stared up at the stone steps, which faded slowly into the darkness beyond the glow from Hiccup's candles. "Up?" she asked. "Why are we going up?"

"We can't go back," Hiccup reminded her. "This is the only path. We'll just have to hope there's another staircase that leads to a back door."

Astrid sighed and nodded. Hiccup took her hand and led her up the first few steps. They passed a gigantic yellow spider, about the size of a large dog, sitting motionless in its web. Hiccup eyed it warily, but it didn't move at all, and they were able to walk past it unharmed.

Then the candlelight illuminated the strangest sight they had ever seen. The staircase before them had become a labyrinth that would have made M. C. Escher jealous. Stairs crossed above them, below them, sideways, upside-down, turning at utterly impossible angles. There were candelabras attached to the banisters at the corners, and the candles dimmed and went out before flickering back to life. Ghostly green footprints appeared on the steps and slowly faded away.

"What the—?!"

Hiccup took a step forward, and he was suddenly turned upside-down on the stairs directly above Astrid. She gaped up at him and cried, "What…how did you get up there?!"

Hiccup's expression mirrored hers. "How did _you _get up _there_?"

Astrid blinked, then understood. From Hiccup's position, _she _was the one who was standing on the inverted stairs. She took a step forward, and the world righted itself. Hiccup stood directly beside her. They clasped hands and continued up the insane staircase, finally reaching the dark landing. The candles in Hiccup's hand flickered and went out suddenly, plunging them in complete darkness.

"Uh…Astrid," Hiccup stammered, "what's that?"

Astrid saw it too. A pair of glowing white eyes was staring at them through the blackness. Then another pair appeared, and another, and another, until they were completely surrounded by unseen, unknown creatures.

Hiccup fumbled in his pocket for Astrid's lighter and flicked it, quickly relighting the candles with shaky hands. The light shone on a span of purple wallpaper, decorated by the eerie eyes. Sighing with relief, Hiccup led Astrid into a small parlor, the intersection of two long hallways. A suit of armor stood in one corner, a large armchair in the other. The chair's embroidery resembled a disfigured face. They paused, considering their options, but before either of them could speak, they heard the faint yet unmistakable sound of a woman singing. Her high, wavering soprano grew steadily louder as they stood there, looking about in vain for its source. It echoed through the empty hallway, ringing in their ears. It was a haunting melody, a song of love lost and endless sadness.

A moment later, it had faded away, leaving silence behind. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged confused and slightly unnerved glances, but words failed them.

"We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat," said the Ghost Host, breaking the silence at last. "Every room has wall-to-wall creeps and hot-and-cold running chills."

Hiccup said, "How about this way?" and he and Astrid started up the hallway to the right. However, it soon became apparent that something was off. The hall was dark and misty despite the candlelight, and it seemed to stretch into infinity, never ending.

Then a door up ahead opened, and a candelabra drifted into the hall, completely unsupported. It began to drift in their direction.

Hiccup and Astrid whirled around and ran back to the parlor. The suit of armor turned its head to look at them, but they didn't notice as they started down the second hallway.

They ducked into an archway on the left and paused to catch their breath. The candles in Hiccup's hands once again went out, leaving them in a state of semi-darkness.

"Astrid, I'm so sorry," Hiccup said. "I only wanted to get out of the rain. If I'd had any idea that we'd be running around a haunted house—"

"It's okay, Hiccup," Astrid interrupted, hoping her voice sounded stronger than she felt. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Besides, the ghost promised us we wouldn't be harmed. All we have to do is finish this tour, and then we'll be…"

She stopped. Another sound had reached their ears. It was a low creaking sound, the sound of wood being bent under some kind of pressure.

Hiccup once again relit the candles, shedding some light on the old conservatory. The room was littered with decaying flowers and wreaths. The entire wall was a giant window, looking out over the mansion's private cemetery. And in the center of the room…

Hiccup yelped and jumped backward, and even Astrid let out a little squeak of fright. A coffin dominated the floor in the center of all the dead plants. It had been nailed shut to prevent grave robbing, but the precaution was proving to be a curse for the coffin's occupant. Two green, rotting hands protruded from within, pushing up on the unyielding lid. "Hey, let me outta here!" cried the corpse inside.

A raven suddenly flew in through a broken pane of the window and landed on one of the funeral wreaths. It cawed balefully and glared at them, as if accusing them of disturbing the thing inside the coffin.

"All our ghosts have been _dying _to meet you," the Ghost Host said. "This one can hardly contain himself." He chuckled darkly.

Hiccup and Astrid retreated down the corridor. It was lined with doors on both sides, and strange, unnatural sounds came from within their rooms. Shrieks, screams, laughter, moans, groans, growls, and shouts filled the air. Portraits of skeletal heads and decaying corpses filled in the gaps between the doors, and a dismal funeral dirge played from somewhere within the house.

"Unfortunately, they all seem to have trouble getting through," the Ghost Host added.

Astrid gasped and squeezed Hiccup's hand as they passed a painting of a middle-aged man. The face was pushing out of the canvas and into the hall as if trying to reach out to them. A little further down was a door that appeared to be breathing, bulging out and receding in. On the opposite wall, two skeletal hands were attempting to tear another door off its hinges. The teens ran to the end of the hall, past a demonic grandfather clock that was striking…thirteen?…and through an open door in the end wall.

"Perhaps Madame Leota can establish contact," the Ghost Host mused. "She has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied."

The teens had stepped into a séance circle. A small round table was sitting in the middle of the dark room, and an assortment of musical instruments floated around it. Hiccup and Astrid stepped around the table and came face-to-face with Madame Leota.

Madame Leota was quite unique. She was a disembodied head trapped within a crystal ball, surrounded by wavy white hair and a spectral green mist. Even though she was staring right at the teens, she didn't seem to see them. "Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat," she chanted in her deep, eerie voice, "call in the spirits, wherever they're at!"

Hiccup yelped as the candelabra was yanked from his hand and joined the instruments floating around them. The crystal ball lifted from its cradle on the table and also began to drift about. The raven they'd met in the conservatory flew in and settled on the back of the armchair behind the table and cawed once.

"Rap on a table, it's time to respond, send us a message from somewhere beyond!"

A loud knocking noise filled the room, loud enough that Astrid covered her ears to block the sound.

"Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!"

The tambourine floating around the room whizzed perilously close to Hiccup's head, shaking violently in response to the medium's incantations.

"Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond!"

A series of instruments started making eerie, disjointed music. Hiccup heard a drum, a horn, and cymbals among the din.

"Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint by ringing a bell!"

A bell to Astrid's right clamored loudly. Glancing at it, she saw a puff of wispy green smoke forming in the corner of the room. It looked vaguely like a skull. "Hiccup, what's that?" she said, clutching her boyfriend's arm.

Hiccup looked at it as well and replied, "I don't know, but I don't want to stay to find out."

There was another door at the other end of the room. As they approached it, the Ghost Host spoke. "The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations," he said, referring to the séance, "and are beginning to materialize. They're assembling for a swinging wake. And they'll be expecting me. I'll see you both a little later."

Hiccup opened the door as the Ghost Host's voice faded, and an eerie waltz played by a pipe organ reached their ears. They were standing on the balcony of a huge grand hall. Below, a table was set, and a birthday – or death-day – cake, complete with thirteen candles, sat at the head seat. All at once, the candles lit, and ghosts from all eras of time appeared in the chairs. The woman at the head of the table inhaled and blew out the candles of her cake, and as the flames puffed out, the ghosts vanished. They reappeared when the birthday ghost inhaled again. There were three drunken ghosts on the chandelier, singing and swaying in unconcerned joy. Banshees and wraiths swooped in from a broken window, and party guests entered through a door, outside of which an old hearse was parked. There were two paintings on the wall, each of a dueling gentleman. Every few seconds, the ghosts of the duelists emerged from their pictures, fired at each other, and vanished, reliving their fateful duel. Six spectral couples spun round and round in tune to the music coming from the old pipe organ at the far end of the room. A transparent organist pounded away on the keys, and tortured souls poured from the pipes with each note.

"I see it but I don't believe it," Hiccup said, staring in awe and fear at the scene below.

"Look!" Astrid said, pointing to the far end of the balcony, where the pipe organ was situated. "There's another door."

They headed toward it. The door opened into another staircase, smaller than the previous one. "Up again," Astrid observed, sounding resigned.

"There's no other way," Hiccup confirmed, and they started to climb. The noise of the party slowly faded away to be replaced by what seemed to be "The Wedding March" played by an out-of-tune harpsichord and the sound of a human heartbeat.

And then a voice, that of a woman, spoke from somewhere above them: "Here comes the bride!"

The staircase ended, and the teens stepped into a musty old attic, dimly lit by moonlight coming in through a broken window. It was crowded with aging trunks and boxes of all shapes and sizes. In one corner, next to a dusty Christmas tree and crates of what must have been holiday decorations, stood the old harpsichord they'd heard. Neither of them was really surprised to see that no one sat at the bench, even though the song was still being played. Also among the clutter, Hiccup noticed, were what appeared to be wedding gifts. Situated on a stack of boxes was a wedding portrait, faded and dusty with age. But as they approached it, the head of the groom faded out of the picture, accompanied by the swish-and-thud sound of an ax. Hiccup froze, staring at the painting.

"As long as we _both _shall live!" intoned the woman's voice, louder this time.

"Look, there's another one," Astrid said, pointing to a second wedding portrait nearby. It hosted the same bride (Constance, according to a tattered banner hanging near the portrait) as the previous one, but a different groom. Also, Hiccup noticed, the bride was wearing a second ring of pearls around her neck.

She'd only been wearing one in the first painting.

"I do…I _did_!" called the voice.

The teens approached the second portrait and, as it had in the first one, the groom's head vanished with the sound of a swishing ax.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Looking around, Hiccup saw three more wedding portraits. All of them pictured the same bride and a different groom, and the bride looked slightly wealthier in each progressive painting. He was starting to put the pieces together.

"In sickness and in…_wealth_!"

"She married these guys for their money," Hiccup said. "And then she killed them."

The groom's head in the third portrait vanished as the woman's voice said, "For better or for…_worse_!"

Hiccup took Astrid's hand and led her around a large pile of boxes, past the last two portraits (the heads of the grooms disappearing as they passed), and froze.

They were facing the ghost of a young bride. Her face was partially hidden by her veil, and her white gown billowed out behind her. Hiccup noticed five rings of pearls around her neck. She smiled coldly at the teens and, her eyes on Hiccup, said, "Till death do us part!" She raised one of her empty hands, but it suddenly wasn't empty anymore. In it gleamed the shiny head of a hatchet.

Astrid gasped in horror and Hiccup's eyes widened. Constance lowered her hand and the ax vanished. She continued to smile malevolently at Hiccup. Noticing the ghost's attention on her boyfriend, Astrid stiffened defensively and stepped forward. "You're pretty handy with that hatchet, huh?" she asked, and Constance's eyes flicked toward her. "Well I'm not so bad with an ax, either. So watch your wandering eyes."

"Oh for the love of—!" Hiccup pulled her hand and they moved away from the ghostly bride, who seemed unconcerned by Astrid's threat. "Let's not make the ax-wielding ghost mad, okay?" They stepped toward the broken window, beyond which lay a balcony. "We're in luck!" Hiccup said. "There's a tree out here. We can climb down and get out of this madhouse!"

They clambered out of the window, ignoring Constance's cry of, "And we'll live happily ever after!" and examined the tree for a moment. "Do you think it's safe?" Astrid asked worriedly.

Hiccup looked around at her and opened his mouth to reply, but he froze. He'd just noticed a third presence on the balcony. Following his startled gaze, Astrid too laid eyes on the figure of a stooped, skeletal man draped in a drench coat and wearing a top hat. He held a cane in one hand, and in the other he carried a hatbox. He leered at the teens for a moment but made no move toward them, nor did he speak. Then, in time with Constance's heartbeat, his head vanished from atop his shoulders and reappeared in the hatbox. Astrid cried out, but with the next heartbeat, his head appeared once more on his body. His expression suggested that he found the teens' obvious fear amusing.

"Come on," Hiccup said, shaking himself mentally and returning his attention to the tree. Stepping carefully, they started to descend to the ground below. A raven, probably the same one from the conservatory and séance room, was perched on one of the higher branches, cawing warningly at them as they climbed down. The storm that had brought here had abated.

Finally, they reached the ground, and they embraced with relief. "Let's go home," Hiccup said.

But it wasn't going to be quite that easy. They broke apart and looked around, only to find that they had descended straight into the mansion's private cemetery. A mortal caretaker and his skinny dog stood nearby, shuddering in terror and unable to speak. Ghosts, goblins, banshees, and spirits of all shapes and sizes were rising from their graves. A group of musicians near the gate were playing a badly-tuned, jazzy piece, and the ghosts were singing:

"_When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake_

_Spooks come out for a swinging wake_

_Happy haunts materialize_

_And begin to vocalize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

"_Now don't close your eyes and don't try to hide_

_Or a silly spook may sit by your side_

_Shrouded in a daft disguise_

_They pretend to terrorize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

"_As the moon climbs high o'er the dead oak tree_

_Spooks arrive for the midnight spree_

_Creepy creeps with eerie eyes_

_Start to shriek and harmonize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

"_When you hear the knell of a Requiem bell_

_Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell_

_Restless bones etherealize_

_Rise as spooks of every size"_

The song ended with a loud, cruel, demonic laugh that echoed and reverberated off the tombstones. Immediately afterward, the ghosts began again from the beginning.

Hiccup and Astrid walked down the graveyard path, staring in awe at all the ghosts, quite forgetting to be afraid. The song was led by a group of five marble busts that had come to life. The lead singer's head had been broken off its shoulders. There were a king and queen on a teeter-totter balanced on a tombstone, and some ghosts were cycling among the graves. A duke and duchess were having tea and singing along with the busts. A hearse had gotten stuck in the mud, and the corpse inside had been spilled out. It too was celebrating and talking to the ghostly hearse driver. An Egyptian mummy was sitting up in his sarcophagus, speaking and singing to a stooping old man with an ear trumpet. In front of a row of crypts was a pair of opera singers, a skinny male and a fat female, who were shamelessly belting out the song. An executioner was singing alongside one of his victims, a decapitated knight who held his head in his outstretched hand.

The graveyard path led straight up to a large stone crypt. Its doors were open, the insides black as night. The raven flew down and settled over the gaping maw, eying them almost malevolently. "Uh, Hiccup, are you sure about this?" Astrid asked uneasily.

"The path leads straight into it. Maybe there's a second exit," Hiccup replied.

They stepped into the mausoleum, their footfalls echoing on the stone floor as the sounds of the graveyard jamboree faded away. The crypt was dimly lit by torches held up by carved skeletal hands protruding from the wall.

"Ah! There you are!" the Ghost Host called, making the teens jump. "And just in time. There's a little matter I forgot to mention: beware of hitchhiking ghosts!"

As if on cue, Hiccup and Astrid passed a large alcove in the wall, where three ghosts stood. One was a portly man carrying a carpetbag, the second was a skeleton tipping a bowler hat, and the last was a short bearded man carrying a ball and chain. All held out their thumbs in the universal sign for hitchhikers.

The teens rounded a corner and found themselves facing three large, ornate mirrors. Hiccup and Astrid gazed at their reflections for a moment, then gasped as the hitchhiking ghosts appeared in the mirrors beside them. They whirled around, but the ghosts were nowhere to be found. Slightly shaken, they headed deeper into the crypt.

"They have selected you to fill our quota," the Ghost Host explained, "and they'll haunt you until you return. A ghost will follow you home!"

Up ahead, a door appeared in the gloom, framed by a giant arch. "Yes! That's the way out!" Hiccup said, his voice echoing through the crypt.

"I hope you enjoyed your visit," said the Ghost Host. "I promised you would not be harmed. Please, do come again. Bring your friends, if they believe the story you'll tell. I have to go now; it's midnight. Pleasant dreams!"

The laughter of the Ghost Host echoed loudly, reverberating in Hiccup's ears as they neared the archway. As the cackling died away, he heard unseen ghosts singing a faint, chant-like tune:

"_If you would like to join our jamboree _

_There's a simple rule that's compulsory _

_Mortals pay a token fee _

_Rest in peace, the haunting's free. _

_So hurry back, we would like your company!"_

One last ghost bade them farewell as they pushed open the crypt door and returned to the mortal world: a woman, only two feet tall and dressed in a somber white gown, stood on the arch, waving after the teens and calling, "Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate, if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now. We've been _dying _to have you!"

Hiccup and Astrid ran from the house as fast as their legs could carry them, stopping only once they'd put a mile between themselves and the old manor. "So," Hiccup panted as they paused to catch their breath. "That happened."

"Yeah," Astrid replied. Then after a couple of seconds she added, "Hiccup? Promise me that, should we ever wind up lost on some dark, deserted road and we happen upon an old, deserted-looking house, we won't enter it. I don't care if it's raining or snowing or if it's the end of the world, but we won't go inside any more old, abandoned mansions that might be haunted. One tour was enough to last me a lifetime."

Hiccup chuckled weakly. "Won't get any argument from me." Then he yelped as Astrid punched him on the arm.

"That's for suggesting we go inside that house in the first place," she said.

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah. I suppose I deserve that one." Then his eyes widened comically as she kissed him. After a moment his eyes fluttered closed and he returned the kiss. When Astrid drew back, he looked rather dazed. "And what was that for?" he inquired.

Astrid smiled. "Just because."

**A/N: Sorry again for the lack of originality, but I hope you enjoyed that all the same. :) **


	14. A Whole New World

A Whole New World

**A/N: This one's for three people: first for my dad, who first told me I ought to do a HTTYD-**_**Aladdin **_**crossover. Second to Cloud4012, who said the same thing. And third to DrabbitDragonLord, who also requested another Disney-Dragons story. Basically, I was too lazy, tired, etc. to actually retell the entire movie with the **_**Dragon**_** characters, but "A Whole New World" is an awesome song and it fit too well for me not to try it. **

**Since the song works so well, in fact, I've left the background information intentionally vague. You can read this story one of two ways. You can read it as a HTTYD-**_**Aladdin **_**crossover, which is basically what I intended. Or you can also read it as an alternate Romantic Flight scene from the first HTTYD movie. Either way you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy it! **

"**A Whole New World" from **_**Aladdin **_**© Disney**

Astrid wasn't really surprised when Hiccup showed up with that big black dragon of his, but that didn't mean that she was ready to see him, speak to him, or forgive him. She glared up at the boy as he swooped down above the cliff where she was sitting, trying to sort through her muddled, confused thoughts. At least he had the decency to look sheepish, though she could tell he wasn't completely sorry for his actions.

"Hello, Astrid," he said quietly, instructing Toothless to land beside her. She huffed irritably and tried not to show any fear at the sight of the sharp teeth lining the dragon's mouth. Toothless, he'd called it. She'd never seen anything less toothless in all her life.

"Look," Hiccup said with a sigh, "I know things didn't exactly go according to plan back there. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry. Really."

Astrid looked up at him. His expression was soft, gentle, perhaps a little pleading. There was a raw, honest earnestness in his eyes that held her attention. The retort she'd planned on snapping at him died on her tongue. She shook herself mentally and tore her eyes away from his face. Her gaze fell instead on the saddle and stirrups fastened to the dragon's back. She frowned. "What is all that?" she asked, gesturing at the various leather straps and buckles.

Hiccup looked down at the saddle and replied, "Oh, it's a saddle I made for Toothless. See…" He gestured to the dragon's tail. Following the motion, Astrid saw that one of the tailfins was made out of leather, not skin. "When he was shot out of the sky, the bola tore his tailfin off. So I made a prosthetic for him. I control it with the stirrup, like this, see?" He adjusted his left foot, and the tailfin opened slightly. "That way, he can fly like the other dragons. Granted, it means I have to fly with him, but…" He shrugged. "…small price to pay in the long run, I suppose."

Astrid was impressed in spite of herself. She stood up and took a cautious step toward the dragon. It glared at her but made no move to stop her. The meaning was clear: _I'm letting you come close because my human likes you. But one wrong move and all bets are off. _

"What kind of dragon is he?" she asked, more to distract herself from her nervousness than anything else.

"He's a Night Fury," Hiccup answered with a hint of pride. Again, Astrid was impressed and hated herself for it. Gods, she wasn't usually so easily awed.

"A Night Fury?" she repeated, trying to make her voice sound light and conversational and not the least bit admiring. "They're pretty rare, right?"

"The rarest dragon in the known world," Hiccup confirmed. "No one's even seen one before besides me…and now you."

Astrid returned her gaze to him, frowning slightly. There was an odd note in his voice, a note she couldn't make any sense of.

She understood when Hiccup suddenly asked, as if on a whim, "You, uh…you don't want to go for a ride, do you?"

Astrid gave him a dubious look.

"We could get away from Berk," Hiccup continued quickly, that faintly pleading note entering his voice again, "see the world…"

Astrid hesitated, glancing down at Toothless again. The dragon didn't seem so enthused about letting her on his back, but she knew instinctively he would allow it if his human asked it of him. She wasn't sure whether she should take comfort from that or not. "Is it safe?" she asked, still eyeing the Night Fury warily.

"Sure," Hiccup said easily. "Do you trust me?"

The words brought Astrid up short. She looked sharply up at him. "What?" she breathed.

Hiccup held out his hand, smiling gently. "Do you trust me?"

Astrid stared at him for a moment. Was she imagining it, or was her heart suddenly pounding a hundred times harder in her chest? And why in Thor's name would it be doing that?

Then she slowly smiled. "Yes," she replied, stretching the word out a little and reaching out to take his offered hand.

Grinning in triumph, Hiccup helped her into the saddle behind him. "Hang on tight," he instructed. "We like to go fast."

Astrid looked around and saw that there was nothing to hold on to. Nothing except Hiccup. She didn't really want to do it but saw no other option, so she gingerly wrapped her arms around his narrow body. "All right," she said a little breathlessly. "I'm ready."

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup said, leaning forward slightly to speak to his dragon. "Go easy, bud."

The dragon snorted and grumbled unintelligibly, and he spread his wings out to the side.

A second later, they were airborne.

Astrid yelped and tightened her grip around Hiccup, who grunted a little irritably. "What part of 'go easy' didn't you understand?" he called up to the dragon. Toothless warbled, and Hiccup sighed. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

Unperturbed, Toothless streaked skyward, leaving Berk behind in seconds. Then he looped around and soared over the island. Astrid gasped in awe. From this angle, bathed in the light of the sunset, the village was absolutely beautiful. "Wow," she gasped.

Hiccup grinned at her obvious delight, glad that she was smiling at last. He directed Toothless a little lower, staying high enough so that they remained unseen but close enough to get a better view. The island was bustling with early-evening activity: shops were closing, friends were meeting in the square, and Vikings were trooping up to the Great Hall for dinner, all unaware that only a few feet above them, a boy and a girl were flying on a dragon.

They flew away from the village, now moving above the uninhabited parts of the island. Trees stretched their branches up toward the sky, leaves rustling in the breeze. Fields were covered in colorful flowers, almost glowing in the late-afternoon sunlight. "It's so beautiful," Astrid murmured to herself, forgetting for a moment that she was seated on the back of a dragon, right behind the boy she'd sworn to hate.

"Mm," Hiccup said by way of agreement. And then, to her utter surprise, he started to sing:

"_I can show you the world_

_Shining, shimmering, splendid_

_Tell me, Astrid, now when did _

_You last let your heart decide?_"

He directed Toothless toward the ground, and he reached out and grabbed a flower, ripping it from the ground. Turning slightly in the saddle, he handed it over to Astrid, who took it after a second's pause. She wasn't really a flowery kind of girl, but for some reason this little gift touched her in ways she couldn't even begin to fathom.

Hiccup continued singing:

"_I can open your eyes_

_Take you wonder by wonder_

_Over, sideways, and under_

_On an ev'ning dragon ride_"

Hiccup directed Toothless up, and the dragon shot toward the sky again, leaving the ground behind. Astrid glanced once back over her shoulder to see the island falling quickly away. This time, the rapid ascent didn't bother her. She giggled almost playfully and raised one hand to run her fingers through the clouds. She almost didn't feel them: they were soft, slightly damp, and seemed to almost not exist. Hiccup looked back at her, saw her delight and wonder stamped on her face, and smiled. He adjusted the tailfin, and Toothless soared up right into the clouds, emerging a short time later on the upper side. With the sun setting, the sky was already dark this high up, and with no clouds to block their view, the stars seemed to dance in the night.

Hiccup started on the chorus:

"_A whole new world_

_A new fantastic point of view_

_No one to tell us no or where to go_

_Or say we're only dreaming_"

He took a breath to continue, but it was Astrid's turn to surprise him. He looked back with wide eyes and raised eyebrows as she started to sing along with the same melody.

"_A whole new world_

_A dazzling place I never knew_

_But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear_

_That now I'm in a whole new world with you_"

She reached out and tried to catch some of the clouds as Toothless dove back into the fluffy sea of white below them. The dragon, apparently sensing the girl's change in mood, decided she wasn't so bad after all and crooned happily, spinning around in a tight upward spiral and finishing in a loop that made Astrid laugh with joy as Hiccup echoed her last line: "_Now I'm in a whole new world with you…_"

As they leveled off, they joined a flock of Terrible Terrors. One of them looked around and squawked in surprise at seeing two humans atop the back of a Night Fury. Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless all ignored them, and Astrid continued singing, raising her voice to a slightly higher key:

"_Unbelievable sights_

_Indescribable feelings_"

She let go of Hiccup's body for a moment, and he was momentarily disappointed. But when he glanced back to see why she had done so, he smiled. She had flung her arms out like wings and had her eyes closed. The sensation of weightlessness was overpowering, and her sheer joy bubbled forth in her song.

"_Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling_

_Through an endless diamond sky_"

Hiccup directed Toothless to do a variety of stunts as Astrid listed them off, and while the Night Fury's movements made Astrid cling to Hiccup once more, her broad smile didn't falter.

At least, not until Hiccup had Toothless dive down toward the water far below. Emerging from the cloud cover, she suddenly realized that they'd moved away from the shores of Berk and were flying over open ocean. For just a moment, she was afraid again.

Her fear must have been apparent in her voice when she sang the next line: "_A whole new world_," for Hiccup glanced back at her, concerned, and saw that she had scrunched her eyes shut.

He smiled and gently coaxed, "_Don't you dare close your eyes_," and she opened them again, her brief fright dispelled as quickly as it had come. They were now flying over the surface of the water, the dragon gliding along, his wings barely moving.

She sang:

"_A_ _hundred thousand things to see_"

And Hiccup overlapped with her:

"_Hold your breath, it gets better_"

Astrid continued, her voice a little breathless with delight:

"_I'm like a shooting star_

_I've come so far_

_I can't go back to where I used to be_"

As Hiccup sang out, "_A whole new world_," Astrid added:

"_Every turn a surprise_"

Hiccup nodded and contributed, "_With new horizons to pursue_," and Astrid agreed with:

"_Every moment gets better_"

Then they both sang together, their voices blending in perfect harmony:

"_I'll chase them anywhere_

_There's time to spare_

_Let me share this whole new world with you_"

Toothless crooned happily at the sound of their voices mingling and working together, but neither of them paid the dragon any mind. They were now totally focused on each other. Hiccup twisted back just slightly so that he could look into Astrid's eyes. They were sparkling in the starlight, two bright sapphire orbs that invited him to fall into their depths forever.

Hiccup sang:

"_A whole new world_"

And Astrid echoed him:

"_A whole new world_"

Smiling, Hiccup added:

"_That's where we'll be_"

And again Astrid repeated:

"_That's where we'll be_"

Hiccup reached back and tentatively took Astrid's hand. She didn't pull away. Feeling his heart flutter, he sang:

"_A thrilling chase_"

Astrid, her heart in her throat, added:

"_A wondrous place_"

And then they both finished:

"_For you and me_"

Astrid leaned her head against Hiccup's shoulder contentedly as Hiccup directed Toothless to fly in the direction of Berk, intending to return Astrid home. To her mild surprise, she found that she didn't really want this ride to end. This confused her for a moment, but she pushed those thoughts aside and instead settled for simply relaxing, wrapping her arms a little tighter around Hiccup's waist. His heart gave a bound and he felt his cheeks heat up, but she didn't notice.

_Maybe I misjudged him after all_, Astrid thought as they flew into the night. _Maybe there's more to Hiccup than meets the eye. _

And maybe there was, but now wasn't the time to dwell on this bewildering development. Now was a time to simply enjoy the ride.


	15. Gift or Curse?: Let It Go

"Gift or Curse?": Let It Go

**A/N: To answer your question, yes. I have posted this story before as a separate one-shot here on fanfiction. But I figured this was a good way to expose it to a broader audience, as well as a chance to give it a much-needed edit. So if you've read this before, feel free to read it again if you wish or just skip ahead to the bottom, where I have some announcements about my upcoming work. **

**If you haven't read this before, here's a quick explanation. This is actually a fan fiction of a fan fiction. Or a fan tribute, I suppose. It's for muggleborn . dragon . ryder's "Gift or Curse?" which is a retelling of Disney's _Frozen _with the HTTYD characters with enough changes and twists to make it a unique and highly entertaining story. I highly recommend reading it! You can find it in my Favorites list. **

**"Let It Go" from _Frozen _© Disney**

**"Gift or Curse?" by .ryder**

The silence of the warm summer night was broken by a faint crackling sound. At almost the same instant, the air temperature began to descend rapidly, as if the gods had doused the world in a bucket of ice water. Soon it was cold enough that snow began to fall from the heavens, drifting down onto a solitary island in the middle of the sea. Had the little outcropping of rock been inhabited, its occupants might have been bewildered and frightened by the sudden shift in weather. But there was no one.

At least not at the moment.

But that soon changed as the source of the faint crackling neared the island. A bridge of ice was stretching across the sea toward the shore, and the sound was the result of the rapid freezing of the water. And atop the bridge was a teenage boy wearing a green tunic and a brown fur vest. His brown hair flapped in the wind and his emerald green eyes flickered about like those of a cornered animal. He was running as though being chased by an army, even though there was no one else around him. With each footstep, the ice bridge expanded before him, as though the ice was sprouting directly from his fur-lined boots.

The bridge came to a sudden end as the boy reached the shore of the island, and Hiccup Haddock stumbled and fell upon the cold sand. He didn't rise immediately, choosing to remain in his prone position, panting and trying to catch his breath. At length he looked up and took in his surroundings. Snow was by now falling heavily on the little island, clinging to the trees and covering the central mountain in a layer of white. It would have been beautiful if it hadn't been so out of place. Snow didn't fall in summer.

Hiccup rose to his knees and looked down at his hands.

_I did this. _

He hadn't meant to. He had tried to conceal his mysterious power as his father had told him to. He'd tried so hard not to let it show.

All it had taken was one little slip. He'd seen his father approaching and the old fear had settled in. The fear he felt whenever he saw his father, especially when Stoick's face was set in an expression that promised pain. Once he felt that fear, there was no stopping his powers. The ice had burst from him without his consent, but he'd never be able to convince his father that he hadn't done it intentionally.

Nor was there any convincing the other villagers. He winced as he remembered their cries of, "Sorcerer!" "Monster!" and "Freak!" One of them had even called, "I always knew there was something wrong with you, boy!"

They were right, all of them. There was something wrong with him. He was a freak, a monster. But it wasn't his fault. He hadn't chosen this…this curse. He'd been born with these powers and he'd never learned how to manage them properly. He knew he lost control more whenever he was in moments of high emotion, especially fear and stress. And the gods knew he spent most of his life in fear and stress, so he often lost control of his power.

And whenever he lost control, a beating was sure to follow.

Hiccup shuddered, but not from the cold. He stood up, gazing at the snow-covered mountain that lay before him. Without really considering it, he started walking toward it, and when he reached its base, he started to climb. The incline wasn't too steep, which made his journey a little easier. And as he climbed, he thought.

He wondered what everyone was doing back on Berk. Would they send out a search party for him? Would his father perhaps come looking for him? He sincerely hoped not.

But what if they did?

"I need a defense," he murmured. "Some way to protect myself in case they do come…"

About halfway up the mountain, he paused and looked around. All his life, he'd been told to hide his powers, to hide his true self. But looking around at the snow covering the island, he couldn't help but marvel over its beauty. He'd never known he was capable of creating something so lovely, so…pure.

He suddenly felt an overpowering urge to sing. He had often hummed or sang when he was depressed or confused. It was something his mother had done, and she said it always made her feel better. The melody played in his head, and the words flowed from his lips. He didn't know where he'd heard the song before or if he was simply making it up as he went, but he didn't care and just let it flow through him.

"_The snow glows white on the mountain tonight_

_Not a footprint to be seen_

_An island of isolation_

_And it looks like I'm the king_"

He paused for a moment to overlook his white, barren domain. A breeze ruffled his hair, though it wasn't the bitter cold that made him wrap his arms across his chest.

"_The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside_

_Couldn't keep it in, Odin knows I tried_"

He kept walking, keeping his eyes down as he recalled the words his father had so often roared at him, words that almost always preceded a beating.

"_Don't let them in, don't let them see_

_Be the good boy you always have to be_

_Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know_"

He paused again, looking down at his hands. As usual, they were covered by the extra-long sleeves of his tunic. His eyes hardened in defiance.

"_Well now they know_"

He pushed his sleeves back, took a deep breath, and finally released his power. He held out his right hand, palm-up, and a puff of glittering snow swirled upward into the air. Smiling, he repeated the motion with his left hand, creating an even bigger swirl. It was the single most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He turned and created a little dragon made entirely out of snow, purely for his own amusement. He threw his hands skyward and shot his powers into the air, and glistening snow mingled with the stars above. And while he experimented with his special talent, his gift, he continued to sing.

"_Let it go, let it go_

_Can't hold it back anymore_

_Let it go, let it go_

_Turn away and slam the door_

_I don't care_

_What they're going to say_

_Let the storm rage on_

_The cold never bothered me anyway_"

He found he was sweating despite the temperature and slid the fur vest from his body. He released it and it flew away in the wind. He wasn't sorry to see it go. It was a reminder of the life he'd left behind, and he wanted nothing more to do with it.

Hiccup resumed walking up the mountain, continuing to sing as he glanced back over his shoulder in the general direction of Berk.

"_It's funny how some distance_

_Makes everything seem small_

_And the fears that once controlled me_

_Can't get to me at all_"

He faced forward and took off at a jog, a broad grin spreading across his face. He paused when he suddenly faced a gap in the snow: there was a chasm that dropped into complete darkness. There was no telling how far down it went, but Hiccup's smile didn't falter. He raised his hand and sent a burst of white snow out from his palms. The snow and ice formed to create a rather misshapen staircase. It didn't look stable, but Hiccup wasn't perturbed. It wasn't bad for his first try, after all. And he could still improve it.

"_It's time to see what I can do_

_To test the limits and break through_

_No right, no wrong, no rules for me_

_I'm free_"

He stepped forward and cautiously put a foot down on the bottommost step. The moment his boot touched the snow, it solidified and crystallized, becoming a smooth, sturdy step, complete with a little swirling snowflake pattern imbedded in the ice. Hiccup's grin widened and he launched himself up the stairs, throwing his hands out to the sides to help finish the staircase's construction, the ice and snow forming in front of him, responding to his every move and obeying his every command.

"_Let it go, let it go_

_I am one with the wind and sky_

_Let it go, let it go_

_You'll never see me cry_"

He reached the other side of the chasm, and the staircase ended, bringing him back to solid ground. Yes, he thought as he looked around. This would be a great place for him to build his protection. Let them try to come after him once he was done. He stomped his left foot into the snow, and at once the ground turned to ice, shooting and spreading outward in a giant snowflake crystal.

"_Here I stand_

_And here I'll stay_

_Let the storm rage on_"

Hiccup stopped singing for a moment, focusing entirely on the construction of his castle. He brought his hands up, and in response the ice he stood on began to rise as well. Great frozen pillars shot up from the ground, sprouting walls and decorative arches. He spun around on the spot, focusing on every minute detail. He created a sweeping grand staircase that sprouted up to the other levels. He made turrets and balconies. Soon he discovered that he could add hints of color to the ice and spread varying hues of purple, blue, and white all around so that his new home didn't have to be so monochrome. The castle stretched upward to the sky, its central tower reaching almost as high as the mountain itself. The front doors were tall and imposing, as if daring anyone to come close enough to penetrate their defenses. The structure was both beautiful and rather intimidating, and Hiccup couldn't be happier with it.

With one last flick of his hands, he added the final touch: a massive ice chandelier, grander than anything anyone on Berk had ever seen, burst from the ceiling, bathing the entire room with ethereal blue light.

He continued his song as he worked:

"_My power flurries through the air into the ground_

_My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around_

_And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast_"

He paused, looking down at his left hand. There was a ring on his third finger, a ring his father had given him. The Berk crest was stamped into the black stone, a reminder of who he was and where he came from. His smile slipped and a scowl darkened his features. He tugged the ring off his finger and hurled it away from him. It soared out the open balcony doors and dropped immediately from sight.

"_I'm never going back_

_The past is in the past_"

As his song neared its climax, Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, making it even more untidy than it already was, and considered his clothes. Like the vest and ring he'd discarded, they were unpleasant reminders of his former home. His smile returned. He knew a way to both rid himself of them and provide himself with another layer of protection. Pointing his hands at his feet and them bringing them sharply upward, his palms always facing his body, he created a suit of ice armor, covering his tunic and leggings as if they had never been there. His boots became solid yet light enough for him to lift. His clothes, made from thinly-spun ice, fitted comfortably. He created shoulder pads, reminiscent of those he had seen his old friend Astrid wear, and topped the whole thing off with a long cloak that trailed the ground behind him.

"_Let it go, let it go_

_And I'll rise like the break of dawn_

_Let it go, let it go_

_That frightened boy is gone_"

Satisfied, Hiccup walked over to the balcony and overlooked his new home. The castle was finished, glistening beautifully in the light of the sunrise. This was his kingdom, his domain, and no one could take it away from him. A building sense of joy and freedom built in his chest and he released it all in the final chords of his song:

"_Here I stand _

_In the light of day_

_Let the storm rage on_

_The cold never bothered me anyway_"

His song finished, his castle complete, and his armor satisfactory, Hiccup nodded once and turned back into his new home, slamming the doors shut behind him, effectively locking out the rest of the world.

Let them come if they dared. He'd be ready for them.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed that! **

**Okay, so here's what I've got in the works right now. Of course I'm going to continue adding to this collection as new stories develop in my head. At the moment, I have two planned: one's a modern AU story, and the other is another Hiccup-sings-a-song crossover, this one with Don Bluth's _Anastasia_. I'll explain more about that one in the A/N prior to the actual story. The possibility of a full-length retelling of _Anastasia _with the HTTYD characters has crossed my mind, though I'm not sure I'll actually do it. We'll see. I guess it depends on what kind of response the one-shot gets as well as whether or not I feel I can make it work (which at the moment is looking doubtful, so…yeah, we'll see). **

**Also, I've been planning for a while to continue the arc started in "Hiccup the Useless," but the more I think about it, the more I think I want to do something a little different. So instead of a sequel, I'm going to post the whole thing as a single novella. _Hiccup the Useless_ will start appearing on my account shortly. As the first half or so of the story is already finished, you can expect to see it pretty soon. The rest will hopefully follow not long after. **

**And of course I'm still writing _Hiccup's Undersea Adventures _and putting the finishing touches on my outline for _Return to the Sea_. So you'll probably be seeing more of merman Hiccup in the near future as well. Naturally all of this depends on my mood and whether or not I'm suffering from writer's block, which happens more frequently than I'd like, so…yeah, it's a distinct possibility. But this is what I've got going at the present. **

**And after that shameless bit of self-advertising…hope you enjoyed the story! **


	16. A Friendly Competition

A Friendly Competition

**A/N: This is a modern AU story in which Toothless is a horse. I always see fan art and stories in which he's a cat or a dog, but very few where he's a horse. I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a horseman myself and love my horse more than anything else on earth, but I always thought it was a natural re-adaptation to make Toothless into a big, powerful, graceful black horse. I mean for goodness' sake, it'd be hard for Hiccup to ride a cat, don't you think? **

**Anyway, here's a horse-Toothless AU story, with a bit of territorial Astrid thrown in because I thought it was funny. Hope you enjoy! **

Learning to ride after the accident had been overwhelmingly difficult, but Henry "Hiccup" Haddock wasn't the type to give up easily. He'd always loved horseback riding and he wasn't about to let a missing leg get in his way. True, it was harder to keep his balance with the prosthetic, but with time and lots of practice, he learned to compensate and was soon riding just as well as he had been before the car crash that had shattered his left leg beyond repair.

It also helped that he and Tempest, his black Arabian gelding, were so close that the horse knew exactly what his rider wanted with the slightest change in position. It was as if he was reading Hiccup's mind. To see the two of them cantering across an open field, one would think that boy and horse were actually one creature.

Of course, none of this stopped Hiccup from being a little nervous on this cool, clear autumn morning. This was his first horse show since losing his leg, and in just a few minutes he'd be performing in front of the small crowd that was gathered along the arena railing. Granted, it was just a schooling show, an event geared for novice and intermediate riders. It wasn't as if he was riding in the Olympics or anything like that. But still…they would all be looking at him…at his leg…watching…waiting for him to mess up.

"You don't have to do this," his mother Valerie had said earlier that morning, apparently sensing how nervous her son was.

He'd been tempted in that moment to back out. But then he'd looked at Tempest and hardened his resolve. "Actually, I do," he'd replied. He hadn't elaborated, but Valerie didn't need any explanation. She understood.

Hiccup watched as the current class ended their performance, lining up in the center of the arena and waiting for the judges to call out the results. His heart was pounding in his chest. They were up next. Sensing his unease, Tempest sidestepped nervously. "Easy, boy," Hiccup whispered, reaching up and running a hand through the gelding's silky black mane. "It's okay. I'm okay. We're gonna do fine."

He was trying to convince himself just as much as Tempest, but the horse seemed to be soothed by his rider's calm, quiet words and relaxed, chewing a little on the bit.

"You ready?"

Hiccup looked around and smiled at the sight of his girlfriend. Astrid Hofferson was grinning at him from atop her blue roan mare Stormfly. Her blond hair was hidden beneath her helmet, but her bright sapphire eyes were sparkling in the early morning sunlight.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied. "I'm ready. You?"

Astrid laughed. "Oh don't you worry about me. You should be worried about how Stormfly and I are going to beat you."

Hiccup's smile faltered slightly, and Astrid suddenly looked stricken. "Oh God! Hiccup, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to imply—"

"It's okay," Hiccup interrupted, trying to smile again. He thought he managed it fairly well, all things considered. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." Then he cracked his usual gap-toothed grin. "You're just competitive as usual, milady."

Relieved that the situation had been saved, Astrid smiled. "You know it." Then her smile faded a little. "Are you sure about this?"

Hiccup nodded. "I'm sure," he said. He glanced down at his left foot. The prosthetic was concealed by his black leather boot nestled in a special stirrup, which was angled to give him better support. It was barely noticeable, but to him it felt like a huge neon sign that flashed CRIPPLE.

"Hiccup…"

He turned back to her. "I'm not going to let this beat me," he said, and there was such conviction in his voice that Astrid blinked in surprise. "I'm going to go in there and prove to them all that I can still ride even with a fake leg. I don't care if I don't get a ribbon. If I can make it through without a major mishap, that'll be worth more than all the blue ribbons in the world."

Astrid smiled sweetly at him. "Well, I wish you luck, Hiccup. Although," she added with a little chuckle, "knowing you, you're gonna do just fine and surprise them all. Who knows? You might even get a ribbon. But just so you know, I'm not going to go easy on you."

Hiccup laughed. "Good, I'm counting on that."

Astrid nodded, but she didn't have the chance to say anything more. It was their turn to enter the arena. Hiccup nudged Tempest with his heels and directed the horse toward the open gate, concentrating on taking deep, calming breaths. _I can do this. I can totally do this_, he thought as his horse joined the others along the rail, walking at a brisk marching pace. He sat up straight, keeping his head high and his heels down. He kept his eyes straight ahead, blocking out everything around him. It was just him and Tempest, as if they were taking a leisurely ride back home on the farm.

He glanced around to make sure he wasn't going to cut off another rider when he took the next corner and caught Astrid's eye from across the arena. She smiled and nodded her head, and he returned the gesture. His gaze then moved over the other riders. There were three horses in the arena besides Tempest and Stormfly, all ridden by girls. Hiccup, far too accustomed to being the only male in the area who rode horses, was beyond being bothered by this. It had troubled him for a while when he was in middle school: apparently horseback riding wasn't considered a manly sport. His cousin Stewart in particular had been quite vocal in his disdain. But now Hiccup couldn't have cared less.

His musings were interrupted by the loudspeaker. "Horses on the rail at the walk," ordered the announcer. Hiccup returned his gaze forward and shifted just a little in the saddle. Tempest was moving at a good pace, his head held appropriately low, bobbing slightly as if to a tune in his head. Hiccup held the reins rather loosely but kept his legs pressed against the gelding's sides.

They had made it halfway around the arena when the announcer called, "Trot your horses, please."

"All right, boy," Hiccup murmured, and Tempest's ears flicked back to catch the sound of his rider's voice. "Let's do this." He gathered up the reins a little, squeezed his legs into the horse's ribs, and made a quiet clucking sound. Immediately, Tempest picked up an easy trot, his legs snapping up in a nice, steady rhythm. Hiccup sat through the first few steps, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do. Then he let the natural bounce of the trot propel him from the saddle, and he started posting.

This was the part he'd been dreading the most. Posting was a generally easy movement, a rising from the saddle followed by a gentle descent in rhythm with the horse's steps. It made riding the usually uncomfortable trot more bearable to both horse and rider, preventing painful jolting and bouncing on the horse's back. Unfortunately it required a great deal of leg muscle to correctly pull off, and Hiccup was missing one of his legs. All the practice in the world couldn't really make up for a missing limb.

Still, though, Hiccup started posting, knowing that almost every eye was on him and his prosthetic, waiting for him to either prove his worth or crash and burn. He closed his eyes for a second or two before snapping them open again, hastily constructing a mental barrier between himself and the people around him. It was just him and Tempest, alone in the world. Not even Astrid could intrude upon his mind now.

He was doing it. He was posting. And it was actually good. He could feel it. His movements were smooth, subtle, graceful. Tempest seemed to be carrying him through every step, gently cradling him as he rose and fell, rose and fell. Hiccup breathed out and allowed himself a tiny smile as he actually began to enjoy the ride.

"Walk your horses, please."

Hiccup sat deeply in the saddle and pulled back a little on the reins, and Tempest obediently slowed to a marching walk. Hiccup couldn't help but grin. He'd done it! He'd shown them he could still ride with a missing leg!

He checked himself quickly. The class wasn't over yet. They still had a long way to go. But now he felt the early stirrings of confidence brewing in his gut. He could handle this. He could do it. No problem.

"Canter your horses, please."

Hiccup gathered up his reins and shifted his weight in the saddle, pressing his prosthetic leg – the one closest to the rail – into Tempest's side. The horse knew exactly what he was being asked to do, and a moment later he broke into a canter. Hiccup inhaled sharply. No matter how many times he rode, no matter how often he urged Tempest into a canter, this never got old: this feeling of absolute freedom. The ground rushed past beneath them. The wind lifted Tempest's mane and whistled past Hiccup's ears so that all he could hear was the gelding's snorting breaths, the pounding of hooves, and the beating of his own heart. _This is what it feels like to fly_, he thought, and he whispered, "Yeah! Go baby!"

All too soon, the announcer called over the speaker, "Walk your horses, please," and Hiccup brought Tempest back down to a slower gait. Tempest snorted, and Hiccup suppressed a chuckle at his horse's displeasure at having to reduce speed. They then turned around at the announcer's command and repeated the pattern in the other direction. Hiccup and Tempest were utterly flawless and worked so well together that they might have been reading each other's thoughts. He sneaked a glance at Astrid once in time to see Stormfly stumble. Astrid recovered herself quickly, but a simple slipup like that could cost a ribbon.

When their pattern was complete, they lined up in the center of the arena. "Great job, bud," Hiccup murmured, scratching a spot on Tempest's withers. The gelding nickered happily.

Astrid pulled Stormfly up beside them. "You looked great," she whispered, and Hiccup grinned in silent thanks.

"In first place," the announcer called, and all the riders stiffened perceptibly, "Number 29: Henry Haddock on Tempest."

Hiccup just barely managed to stop himself from punching the air with his fist. He settled for giving his horse a fond pat. "Congratulations," Astrid hissed, and Hiccup mouthed, "Thank you," back.

Astrid won second place, and once the places had all been announced she and Hiccup lined up again along the rail for their second class. Hiccup and Tempest did extraordinarily well…until it was time to canter. Hiccup got a little ahead of himself and Tempest wasn't ready to go when his rider asked, with the end result that the horse picked up the wrong canter lead. Hiccup flinched and cursed under his breath as he brought Tempest back down to a trot, set him up, and asked again. This time, the gelding picked up the correct lead, but the damage was done. "Stupid," Hiccup muttered. "That was stupid. Not you, bud," he added to Tempest. "That was all me."

They placed second that round, which Hiccup thought was actually rather generous considering how badly he'd screwed up. But he certainly wasn't complaining. Astrid won the first place ribbon.

"We're tied," she said as they headed back to the rail for their third and final class. There was a familiar teasing, challenging note in her voice. "Whoever bests this round wins."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Always so competitive."

"Just a bit of friendly competition," Astrid replied with a shrug.

The third class began, and both Hiccup and Astrid rode well. Tempest and Stormfly were calm and obedient to their riders and no major mistakes were made by any of them. By the time they were lined up for the last time to await their placements, Hiccup had no idea which of them had had the better ride.

"Good luck," he whispered to Astrid, and she grinned rather cockily in reply. He chuckled.

"In first place," the announcer called, and Hiccup ran his fingers through a tuft of Tempest's mane. _It doesn't matter who wins_, he thought. _I've already won. _

"…Number 29, Henry Haddock on Tempest."

For a second Hiccup just stared straight ahead at nothing, uncomprehending. And then a broad smile spread across his face. "Yes," he whispered, leaning forward to pat Tempest's neck. "We did it, buddy! We showed them! We won!"

Astrid won second place, and she and Hiccup led the other horses to the fence, where they collected their ribbons. "Congratulations," Astrid said, grinning at him.

"Thanks," Hiccup replied, unable to stop beaming with pride and exaltation. "You too. You did very well."

Astrid thanked him before dismounting. They had reached the spot where the Haddock family horse trailer was parked. Hiccup slid down from Tempest's back and led him over to a hook on the exterior wall of the trailer. Then he wrapped his arms around his horse's neck, burying his face in the black silky coat and inhaling deeply. "You are amazing, bud," he murmured. "Thank you."

Tempest nickered. Hiccup drew back and started to unbuckle the bridle.

"Hey Henry."

Hiccup spun around and blinked. There were two girls standing just behind him, both smiling sweetly at him. "Uh…hi," he said.

"You looked great out there," one of them said, and there was an odd note in her voice that Hiccup couldn't begin to decipher.

"Uh…thank you," he replied a little warily.

"And with only one leg," said the second girl. "That's really impressive."

Hiccup felt his cheeks go pink and nodded mutely, turning once again to Tempest. _Of course_, he thought as he slid the bridle off the horse's head. _They want to hear about the accident. Next they'll ask you how you lost the leg even though they've both undoubtedly heard all about it already… _

"How did you lose it? Your other leg?" asked the first girl, and Hiccup barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

"Car accident," he said shortly as he buckled Tempest's halter. "And I'd really rather not talk about it."

He hoped this would deter the girls. But they didn't seem put off. Indeed, the second one boldly took a step forward, reaching out to stroke Tempest. The horse eyed her warily. "He's so cute," the girl cooed.

"Thanks," Hiccup sighed, and then he gestured for her to move aside so that he could remove the saddle. He hoisted it and carried it over to a rack inside the trailer. When he returned, he saw both girls heaping their affections on Tempest. The gelding clearly didn't appreciate the attention: his ears were pinned back and the whites of his eyes were showing. "Hey, back off," Hiccup called. "Leave him alone."

"We aren't hurting him," the first girl protested, although they both stepped back a few paces. Tempest visibly relaxed.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Hiccup asked, sincerely hoping they'd get the hint and buzz off.

But before either of them could respond, another voice asked, "Hiccup?"

He looked around and saw Astrid peering from around the trailer corner, a confused frown on her face. She looked from Hiccup, who looked exasperated, to the two girls, who both looked surprised and somewhat haughty, and figured out what was going on. She smiled and sauntered up to Hiccup, ignoring the girls entirely. "I was wondering if I could borrow a brush for a moment?"

Hiccup blinked. The sight of her hips swaying left him momentarily stunned. "Uh…" he stammered, "sure, no…no problem…"

Astrid reached up and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "Thanks babe." Then she kissed him, fiercely, passionately. Hiccup's eyes widened for a second before closing in bliss. He kissed her back, raising his hands to fold her into his embrace.

Astrid broke the kiss and whispered, "Are they gone?"

"Are who gone?" Hiccup mumbled weakly.

Astrid giggled. "The two gawkers."

Hiccup glanced up over Astrid's shoulder and saw the two girls' retreating backs. He grinned. "Yep. They're gone. Thanks."

"Anytime," Astrid replied, giving him a quick peck before backing away. "Oh, and I really do need to borrow that brush."

Hiccup laughed. "Help yourself."

…

The next afternoon, Hiccup emerged from the house to see Astrid driving toward the barn that his parents owned and operated. Astrid boarded Stormfly here; she shared a pasture with Tempest. The two horses were the best of friends and could often be seen grazing side-by-side contentedly, although now they both looked up at Astrid's arrival, ears perked curiously.

Hiccup waved as his girlfriend emerged from the car, tossing her blond braid over her shoulder. "Hey there," he called, walking over to her. "Ready to ride?"

"Always," Astrid replied, and she wrapped one arm around Hiccup's waist as they headed to the pastures. They walked in silence for a moment or two. Then Astrid said, "You rode really well yesterday, Hiccup. And I don't mean for someone with a handicap. I mean you rode like a real horseman."

Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, Astrid." He kissed her on the temple.

"I know you were worried about what everyone else was going to think of you," she went on. "And you didn't need to be. No one could tell you have a prosthetic. I sincerely doubt any of them even knew which leg was the fake one." She stopped walking and pulled Hiccup around so that they faced each other. "You are a true horseman, Hiccup. And having a fake leg will never change that. Because it's not about having real limbs or fake ones." She put a hand over his heart. "It's about what's in here."

Hiccup opened his mouth but couldn't think of a single thing to say. So he settled for pulling her in for a kiss. When they broke apart he murmured, "Thank you."

Astrid nodded mutely and grinned.

They resumed their walk until they reached the pasture gate. Hiccup picked up the two halters resting on a fence post and led Astrid into the paddock. "Tempest," he called. "Come on, bud. We're gonna go for a ride."

Tempest looked around at him, paused, and then took off at a canter toward the opposite end of the field. Stormfly tossed her mane and followed him.

"Oh come on," Hiccup groaned. "Are we really doing this again?"

Astrid laughed. "Your horse is a troublemaker, Hiccup."

Hiccup sighed and jogged after his horse. Tempest and Stormfly stood still until he was ten feet away, and then they darted past him, flagging their tails playfully. "Will you stop that?!" Hiccup cried as he took off after them.

Tempest whinnied shrilly, and Hiccup huffed. "Thank you for nothing, you useless equine."


End file.
